Study demonstrates that exercise protects mice from macular degeneration
Eye doctor Carlsbad CA
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is a condition in which the macula, the central part of the retina, begins to degrade. The macula is the only part of the eye that has the sharp central vision necessary for tasks like reading and recognizing faces. Although a patient with AMD remains able to sense light, they have trouble with these tasks.
Previously, researchers had noticed that exercise and AMD are inversely linked. People with AMD don’t exercise as much as those who don’t have it. This presented a bit of a scientific conundrum, however. It’s hard to know whether exercise reduced the risk of AMD, or whether people who had AMD then found it difficult to exercise. AMD makes it almost impossible to play sports that involve things like throwing, catching, and kicking, and can make people reluctant to even go out for a walk since they don’t feel safe. Because of this, it was unclear whether exercise actually reduces the risk of AMD.
New study in mice shows that exercise leads to less AMD
In this study, some mice were placed in a cage containing an exercise wheel, while others didn’t have a wheel. Most of the mice with access to a wheel chose to run on it, but how much time they spent exercising differed. There was no attempt to try to get the mice to exercise; they were just observed to see how much they voluntarily chose to exercise.
After a period of time, the mice were subjected to an eye injury with a laser that would cause a condition similar to AMD in humans. They were put back into cages with or without a wheel. Then the mice were observed again, to see whether they continued to exercise and how their eyes were affected.
Mice who exercised before the injury had much better outcomes in their eyes. There was less injury visible in the eyes, and we would expect that these mice would have better vision than the mice who didn’t exercise before the injury. Importantly, it didn’t matter how much the mice exercised. The difference was between those mice who exercised at all and those who didn’t. Exercising more did not add extra benefit. In addition, mice who only started to exercise after their eye injury did not have a benefit from exercise. The exercise had to be started before the eye injury in order to provide a benefit.
What does this mean for you?
If you’re already exercising, this is another reason to keep doing what you’re doing. If you frequently have days where you don’t really exercise, this study should provide some motivation. It doesn’t particularly matter how much you exercise, so don’t get overwhelmed by thinking that you have to start a major workout program. Doing any amount of exercise will benefit you, including reducing the risk that you’ll lose your eyesight as you age. It doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Simply going for a short walk each day would help.
A study like this could also be done in humans, but it would take longer. It would be necessary to begin the study before anyone in it develops AMD. People would be followed for years, to determine how much they exercise and whether or not they eventually get AMD. Researchers could then determine whether exercise protected against AMD in people as in mice. This study would take a long time, but would offer better evidence.
Eye doctor Carlsbad CA
For people who have AMD or who are at high risk of developing it, regular examinations by an eye doctor are crucial, as early treatment may be able to save your vision. For everyone, regular eye exams help to ensure that any problems are caught early, when treatment is more likely to be possible.
Here at North County Laser Eye Associates, we’re fortunate to have a board-certified ophthalmologist (a medical doctor with a specialization in the eyes) as well as two optometrists (specialist eye doctors) providing care to our patients. If you’re looking for an eye doctor Carlsbad CA or the surrounding San Diego area, we would love to meet you. We invite you to book an appointment; simply contact our office at your convenience.
