What determines the loss of vision?
A lifestyle change can significantly slow the age-related loss of vision associated with macular degeneration. Scientists from Wisconsin, USA, have established that aging is not the most important reason for gradually developing blindness.
Since 1988, 4,926 volunteers have participated in a large-scale study whose purpose was to identify what factors lead to poor eyesight as they age and which help to preserve it. For 20 years, respondents have been regularly screened by ophthalmologists at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. They determined visual acuity, assessed the state of the vessels of the retina and optic nerve. In addition, all patients completed a questionnaire in which they indicated their bad habits, painted the regime of the day and food preferences.
The factors, such as labor employment, social status, material income, general health, body mass index, habitual exercise and sports activities were necessarily taken into account. At the end of the study, participants were 43 to 84 years old.
Smoking is the most harmful factor
When scientists, led by Ronald Klein, processed the data, it turned out that smoking is the most significant factor that accelerates the loss of vision. The created computer model, taking into account the amendment to sex and age, clearly showed that smokers 65% more often have macular degeneration than those who are against the tobacco. The combination of smoking with sedentary lifestyle increases the unfavorable forecast by 95%, and cigarettes with alcohol abuse - by 166%.
This phenomenon is explained by the peculiarities of biochemical reactions. Tobacco resins and alcohol are the strongest oxidants, causing the formation of a huge mass of extremely aggressive free radicals. According to the catastrophic effects on the retina of the eyes, they can be compared with ionizing radiation. Increase the damage of toxic combustion products and the acetaldehyde venom formed during the breakdown of alcohol. Therefore, in the group of malicious smokers who consumed alcohol( not even often), the rate of incidence of visual acuity was maximal.
Physical activity keeps the eyes healthy
Encouraging data are obtained in a group of non-smoking respondents. For those who regularly engage in sports or lead a physically active lifestyle, time literally stops: the speed of development of macular degeneration in them is reduced by 58%.At the same time, occasionally a glass of wine drunk does not have any negative effect on the eyesight.
Among the many published scientific articles on the topic of macular degeneration, this is the first study offering an effective prescription for the most common cause of senile blindness.
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