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How Being Overweight Affects Your Vision

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Obesity is something that is already detrimental to begin with, but if you take a deeper look, there are numerous other problems that are caused because of it. The number of people with obesity in almost every country is quite staggering.

It is abundantly clear that obesity is gaining prevalence in most parts of the world. Something a lot of people do not know about obesity is the fact that it is extremely detrimental for our vision.

A number of studies have been conducted to find out how obesity affects our vision. Most studies concluded that obesity is linked to increased pressure in the eyes. This is also called intraocular pressure.

How Obesity Damages the Eyes

As mentioned before, having too much weight can cause you to put too much pressure on the blood vessels that are located near your eyes. These blood vessels can be damaged quite easily as they are very delicate. Poor vision results once these vessels suffer significant damage. Make sure that your body mass index is on the lower side. The higher it is, the higher the chances of developing obesity-related eye diseases.

Your environment and your nutrition play a huge role in causing cataracts. Poor nutrition is usually a contributing factor to obesity, which is why their vision suffers greatly. In order to maintain ocular health, you should make sure that you are receiving all the necessary vitamins, such as Omega 3 and Vitamin A. The risk of your vision decreasing becomes even higher if you continue to ignore these vitamins.

Could Being Overweight Cause Blindness?

There haven’t been any conclusive studies that indicate blindness caused by obesity; however, the chances are extremely high. Even if you do not go permanently blind, you can still go blind to the extent of not being able to see almost anything.

The blood vessels that are located near your eyes can pop at any time if you continue to eat unhealthy foods and keep gaining weight. Once they pop, it is impossible to predict the extent of discomfort you will suffer. This alone should be enough for anyone to consider losing weight as soon as possible.

How You Can Protect Your Eyes

It is well established by now that being overweight does not bode well with your eyes. To make sure that your vision has longevity, make sure that you keep a healthy lifestyle and reevaluate your priorities. Start eating healthy foods that have beneficial nutritional qualities.

Get your eyes tested to see if you require glasses. If you do, get them made as soon as possible, and wear them all the time. Make sure that you exercise on a regular basis. Thirty to forty minutes of regular exercise with a good diet will ensure that you can lose weight in a short amount of time. Your vision will get better and you will avoid other dangerous health problems down the line.

Written by Total Focus

At Total Focus Optometry, we’ve spent the last 70 years building meaningful relationships with our patients and their families. From routine eye exams to contact lens fittings we offer our patients a variety of services to meet their eye care needs.

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