Exercise and Glaucoma

A recently published study in the Journal of Glaucoma reported slower rates of visual field loss in patients who exercised more.

In the analysis, the researchers found that slower visual field mean deviation loss was associated with active physical activity index category and higher physical activity amount. They found no significant associations between the rate of visual field mean deviation loss and baseline visual field mean deviation or walking pace. The multivariable analysis demonstrated an association between slower visual field mean deviation loss and higher amounts of physical activity.

"Physical activity is hypothesized to have neuroprotective effects on retinal ganglion cells,” the researchers explained adding that aerobic exercise has been found to temporarily reduce intraocular pressure while high-intensity resistance exercise and weightlifting can temporarily increase pressure. 

Cardiovascular Health and Macular Degeneration

 

Introduced by the American Heart Association in 2022, the Life’s Essential 8 score combines eight key metrics into a single holistic framework: diet, nicotine exposure, sleep duration, physical activity, body mass index, blood glucose, blood lipids and blood pressure. 

In a recent study, Chinese researchers explored relationship between cardiovascular health and macular degeneration, including the role of genetics, and found that maintaining good cardiovascular health can reduce AMD incidence regardless of genetic background. The findings were reported recently in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

Individuals under 60 years of age showed a stronger beneficial association than those 60 and older, indicating that adopting good cardiovascular practices earlier can better reduce the incidence of AMD.

Subgroup analyses also showed a stronger beneficial association in women and nondrinkers. Regarding women, this could be attributed to several factors, including estrogen. Estrogen, with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may enhance the benefits of cardiovascular health in women

An association was found between higher LDL and triglyceride concentrations and reduced AMD risk, showing these lipids “may play a protective role, potentially by supporting retinal health through lipid metabolism and membrane formation. Further investigation is needed in the relationship between LDL, triglycerides and AMD to uncover the exact mechanisms.

In addition to lifestyle modifications such as physical activity, a balanced diet and smoking cessation may help reduce the risk of AMD, 

VITAMIN D AND KERATOCONUS

 

Published in American Journal of Ophthalmology, the work by a research team from Italy reports observed the effects of vitamin D on keratoconus patients. 

The researchers discovered that vitamin D stabilizes the cornea and reduces keratoconus progression. 

Neuroretinal Rim Measurements Outperform RNFL Thickness for Detecting Glaucoma Progression

 

Monitoring structural changes (via disc photography and OCT) is helpful to catch glaucoma in its early stages, when intervention can be most effective in preventing major vision loss. A recent study, whose findings were published in Journal of Glaucoma, aimed to compare the efficacy of event-based vs. trend-based analysis in glaucoma detection.

The researchers performed both event-based and trend-based analyses and reported that the former method was significantly more effective at detecting glaucoma progression. 

Moreover, using high-density 3D OCT measurements of MDB neuroretinal rim thickness, event-based analysis detected progression in 52.4% of eyes tested, compared to only 9.7% detected by trend-based analysis using the same measurement.

The present study showed that event-based analysis using the MDB rim thickness parameter was a better test than RNFL thickness for detecting glaucoma progression over a five-year period,”