Does practising sport increase or reduce the risk of developing the disease?
At the 2017 AAO Congress, a research team from the University of California (Los Angeles), led by Dr Victoria L. Tseng presented data from a study reporting a 73% reduction in the risk of developing glaucomatous disease in people who engage in intense or moderate sports activity compared to more sedentary people.
The correlation was established on the basis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an extensive survey that looked at the health and nutritional status of the US adult population since 1960. Sports activity was classified into mild, moderate to vigorous in terms of walking speed and number of steps per minute, measured with a pacing meter. Walking 7,000 steps per day, every day of the week, was considered equivalent to 30 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least 5 days per week.
In other studies, however, the relationship between sporting activity and glaucoma has been evaluated in a diametrically opposed manner, since, as is well known, increased intraocular pressure is still considered the main risk factor in the onset and progression of glaucomatous disease, and the impact of sporting activity on IOP must be evaluated from multiple aspects.
Intraocular pressure may increase as a result of muscular exertion, change of body position and increased respiratory volumes. All these factors may be present during exercise, especially if hydration levels are increased. Increased IOP can then lead to a reduction in perfusion pressure with associated possibility of mechanical and/or ischaemic damage to the optic nerve head.
To date, therefore, there is no unequivocal scientific evidence of a sport-glaucoma correlation and further research needs to be promoted, based, for example, on tonometric measurements during sport and direct measurement of hydration levels.
In other respects, sport, especially if practised as an amateur, is certainly to be recommended for its beneficial effects on health, in terms of reducing the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Bibliography
- McMonnies CW, Intraocular pressure and glaucoma: Is physical exercise beneficial or a risk? J Optom. 2016 Jul-Sep;9(3):139-47
- Gale J, Wells AP, Wilson G. Effects of exercise on ocular physiology and disease. Surv Ophthalmol. 2009 May-Jun;54(3):349-55.
Dr. Carmelo Chines
Direttore responsabile
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