Vision loss tied to decreased physical activity

 A study published online in the August edition of Ophthalmology  confirms that people who have experienced vision loss in both eyes are less physically active than people without vision loss. Researchers, however, were uncertain whether it was the loss of vision which led to less activity or if the inactivity led to the vision loss. The researchers examined data from a study that involved 1,400 participants who underwent eye exams and wore an accelerometer on a belt for a week to measure how many steps they took in a day. The threshold for having vision loss was being unable to see at least two out of 19 objects presented to the study participant in various locations of their peripheral vision. Based upon that criteria, 88 people were determined to have vision loss in one eye and 49 had vision loss in both eyes. Conditions such as glaucoma or macular degeneration narrow people's visual field which is different than just having blurry vision which can be corrected with glasses. What researchers discovered was that vision loss in both eyes was tied to 17 percent fewer steps per day and 30 percent less activity than people without any loss. In addition, people with vision loss in only one eye were just as active as people without any vision loss.*