Researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Department of Anesthesiology at the "G.Papanikolaou" Regional Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, sought to explore the effects of exercise on medicated patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG).

Glaucoma is a disease that causes damage to the optic nerve, often resulting in severe vision loss or blindness. It is an irreversible condition that affects roughly 4 million people in the United States, about half of whom are unaware that they have it. Women, persons with diabetes or stroke, and African American men over 40 are at a greater risk.

Although glaucoma is typically seen in the elderly (persons over 60), everyone is at risk. Glaucoma may develop with or without symptoms, and as many as 10 percent of people receiving proper treatment will still experience vision loss. High intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of its many risk factors.

“Since exercise increases systemic fibrinolytic activity (such as dissolving blood clots), one can speculate that exercise decreases intraocular pressure by facilitating (uveoscleral) outflow,” authors of the study wrote.”

Based on this information, researchers gathered data from 145 individuals—100 healthy and 45 with POAG. Prior to testing researchers checked IMP levels using Goldmann’s applanation tonometry, a method of measuring the amount of pressure needed to flatten the cornea.

IMP was measured again hours after receiving medicated eye drops. Participants were then asked to engage in “moderate to sub-maximal” aerobic exercise (on a bicycle) for 10 minutes, after which IOP data was again measured. All participants experienced lower IOP levels, even in the participants who received no medication.

“Regardless of the antiglaucoma medication instilled, they still benefited from the aerobic exercise since they all had a post-exercise reduction of IOP,” the authors wrote in the study. “It is obvious that these patients should be encouraged to perform aerobic exercise.”

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Is a vision test on your “To Do List”? More than 2.2 million Americans age 40 and older have glaucoma (a group of eye diseases which produce increased pressure within the eye) and the best defense against the disease is an annual vision exam. People usually do not notice signs of glaucoma until they have already lost significant vision.

The elevated pressure in glaucoma is caused by a backup of fluid in the eye, which, over time, may damage the optic nerve. At first, people with glaucoma lose their side vision (peripheral vision). And, if the disease is not treated, vision loss may progress to total blindness. Once vision is lost, it cannot be restored. People with one or more of the following risk factors for glaucoma should have their eyes examined on a regular basis:

• Over the age of 45
• A family history of glaucoma
• Abnormally high intraocular pressure (IOP)
• African descent
• Diabetes
• Myopia (nearsightedness)
• Regular, long-term steroid/cortisone use
• Previous eye injury

To test for glaucoma, your doctor will perform a series of quick and painless tests (eye pressure measurements, dilated eye exams, and sometimes visual field testing) to check for any changes in your eye or in your vision. Through early detection, glaucoma can often be controlled with medications, such as eye drops or pills. If glaucoma does not respond to medication, surgery may be recommended.