To Your Health
March, 2022 (Vol. 16, Issue 03) |
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Exercise Is Good for Your Eyes
By Editorial Staff
Especially if you have dry, itchy eyes – an increasingly common consequence of our world. Between staring at screens all day (and night) and dealing with historically variable weather, many of us are reaching for eye drops at some point during the day for relief. There's a better way.
Athletes and non-athletes were divided into two groups based on how much they exercised. While athletes exercised at least five times per week, non-athletes did so no more than once per week. Researchers then assessed tear secretion and tear break-up time (two measures of eye health that relate to symptoms such as eye itching, stinging and burning) while participants exercised on a treadmill until exhaustion.
Members of both groups experienced a significant increase in tear quantity and tear film stability after exercising; members of the athlete group showed the largest increase (which the study authors attribute to exercise duration and overall physical fitness). Findings appear in the research journal Experimental Eye Research. Keep in mind, of course, that aerobic exercise has countless health benefits; this is just one more to add to the growing list.
