Scientists have discovered a simple way to improve eye health

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On the benefits of physical activity for health has been known for quite some time. Now scientists have discovered another reason to start exercising. It turns out that even the simplest exercise can prevent vision loss.

A study conducted by scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine found that exercise actually reduced the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eyes of laboratory mice by up to 45%. As experts explained, the abnormal growth of blood vessels causes macular degeneration and other eye diseases.

“The question of whether a healthy lifestyle can delay or prevent the development of macular degeneration has been around for a long time. This [study] provides for the first time convincing evidence obtained in the laboratory,” said one of the authors of the scientific work, MD Bradley Gelfand from the UVA Center for Advanced Vision Sciences.

At the same time, he emphasized that training does not necessarily have to be intense or with heavy loads. In particular, the mice studied during the experiment simply ran on a wheel at different speeds.

“As long as the mice had a wheel and ran on it, there was a benefit. Moreover, they got it with low levels of physical exertion,” Gelfand added.

At the moment, scientists do not know exactly how physical exercises help improve vision. It is believed that the whole point is to increase blood flow, which accelerates during sports. This, in turn, can be one of the factors that help prevent the growth of blood vessels. According to Gelfand, the researchers plan to continue studying this discovery to draw definitive conclusions about the benefits of exercise for people's eye health.