Glaucoma is a serious, irreversible eye condition that afflicts many older Americans. Treatment research is focusing on finding new medications to protect the optic nerve from damage, although there is no cure. Early diagnosis is one of the best ways to help to control the disease, but lifestyle modifications such as exercise can also be helpful in keeping glaucoma in check.
Identification
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that result in damage to the optic nerve frequently caused by high pressure, known as intraocular pressure, inside your eye. There are two main types of glaucoma, closed angle and open angle, which is the most common and afflicts 95 percent of patients, according to the organization National Glaucoma Research. Other types include normal-tension, congenital, juvenile and secondary.
Significance
The Glaucoma Foundation estimates that three million people in the U.S. have glaucoma, half of whom don't know they have it, since symptoms often don't occur until late stages in the disease. National Glaucoma Research adds that by the year 2020, the number of people with open-angle glaucoma alone may reach 3.4 million. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness.
Expert Insight
Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that studies have shown exercise improves blood flow to the retina and optic nerve and lowers intraocular pressure. One such study, by A. Movaffaghy et al in Switzerland in 1998 and published in "Experimental Eye Research" found a direct increase of vascular resistance by about 50 percent in optic nerve blood flow, along with a decrease in intraocular pressure. Exercise may also help to prevent glaucoma. One study by John T. Williams, Ph.D., published in the journal "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" in August 2010, analyzed 29,854 male runners, 200 of whom had glaucoma. He discovered that every meter-per-second increment in performance corresponded to a 36.7 percent reduction in risk of the disease. Essentially, the fastest runners, and presumably the fittest, had the lowest rates of glaucoma.
Recommendations
John Hopkins feels that if you aren't already active, going for a walk three or more times per week may be enough to protect against the progression of your glaucoma, although you'll need to keep at it, since one study it reviewed found it only took three weeks of a sedentary lifestyle to undo all the beneficial effects. Richard P. Wilson, M.D., co-director of the Glaucoma Service at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, adds that any aerobic exercise will be helpful, whether it's walking, running, biking, aerobics classes or swimming, as long as you keep moving for at least 20 minutes at a time. The Glaucoma Foundation also cautions that you should drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise, but to do so slowly, since drinking a quart of water within 15 to 30 minutes can cause a rise in intraocular pressure.
Warning
Johns Hopkins warns that you should avoid holding your breath when you exercise, as some people tend to do with weight lifting, yoga or Pilates, since that will increase the intraocular pressure. There have been few studies on yoga and glaucoma, but it's possible inverted poses may increase IOP. Dr. Richard P. Wilson adds that you should avoid any exercise that puts your legs higher than your head, as that raises the pressure of blood in the veins around the eye. In cases of closed-angle glaucoma, the Mayo Clinic recommends you talk to your doctor first about an appropriate exercise regimen, since vigorous high-impact exercise may cause this condition to get worse.
