Exercise is…easy on the eyes?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
We spend HOURS in front of screens. Computers! phones! TVs! All that exposure can leave our eyes dry and tired. Is there a solution in SIGHT?
Enter Samuel Abokyi at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and team. They suspected the answer might be…at the gym! The team recruited more than fifty college-age students. Half were athletes in university teams, exercising more than five times a week. Others were non athletes who exercised once a week or less. All the volunteers completed a treadmill workout. The researchers compared eye health, including eye dryness and vision sharpness, before and after their workout.
The results will bring tears to your eyes! There were NO observed changes in vision clarity. However, both athletes and non-athletes noticed less eye dryness after the workout!
The researchers think that regular aerobic exercise may help counteract the impacts of modern life on eye health.
But, is it still okay to watch Top Chef WHILE I’m on the Peloton?
Reference: Abokyi, S., Mensah, S. N., Otchere, H., Akoto, Y. O., & Ntodie, M. (2022). Differential effect of maximal incremental treadmill exercise on tear secretion and tear film stability in athletes and non-athletes. Experimental Eye Research, 214, 108865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exer.2021.108865