Press Away Glaucoma
Written by Nash Trout on June 9th, 2007 in Exercise, Health News, Strength Training.
Your eyes benefit from strength training! From previous post, where we knew that there are sexual benefits for strength training, now another benefit is that it saves you from suffering glaucoma. Researchers at Mississippi State University report that you can reduce your risk of glaucoma with bench presses.
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness, affecting more than 67 million people worldwide. It affects the optic nerve, the connection between the eyeball and the brain. It’s caused by an abnormally high internal eyeball pressure and requires lifelong treatment and monitoring.
In the study by MSU, 30 people who performed three sets of bench presses reduced the pressure within their eyes, called intraocular pressure (IOP), by 15 percent.”Anything that lowers IOP reduces the pressure on the optic nerve, thus reducing the likelihood of nerve damage and glaucoma,” says Joseph Chromiak, Ph.D., the lead study author. Exercises that recruit a lot of muscle mass, such as bench presses or squats, reduce pressure best, Chromiak says.
Exercise Health News Strength Training
June 10th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Nice find. This is a great news as I don’t have a clear vision anymore (say 250 and 300); and am afraid I’m prone to glaucoma. Good thing I work out and bench press is part of my work plan.
June 11th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Keep on working out Geo! and thanks for stopping by. Note that not only bench press, but also those exercises that builds muscle mass could reduce pressure on the optic nerve and prevents glaucoma. This is practically all strength training exercises.