2024-07-30 17:57:53
Being overweight is often associated with health risks. However, studies now show that a few extra pounds can also have a positive effect.
Obesity should not be trivialized. It has a huge impact on health and even determines life expectancy. On average, obese people die around three years earlier than people of normal weight. After all, excess weight promotes many diseases, including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But it seems that a little more body weight can have an unexpected advantage in some cases: it could protect our eyes.
As researchers are currently reporting, a slightly increased body mass index (BMI) could possibly reduce the risk of developing glaucoma. Two studies from Australia and the USA were recently published with consistent results. According to them, people with a lower BMI were more likely to develop glaucoma. And the disease progressed more quickly in them than in people who were of normal or slightly overweight.
“There have been contradictory study results on a possible connection between body weight and the risk of glaucoma,” says Professor Alexander Schuster from the Department of Ophthalmology at the University Medical Center Mainz. “The current studies shift the balance in the direction of a possible protective effect that could come from normal to slightly increased BMI values,” says the expert. Research suggests that being underweight makes people more susceptible to disease overall.
However, body weight alone is not a clear indicator. According to the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG), many factors play a role in the development of glaucoma.
The tricky thing about glaucoma is that it initially has no symptoms and can therefore go unnoticed for a long time. “It is not associated with pain, and many sufferers do not initially notice that their field of vision is getting smaller,” explains Schuster.
According to the DOG, such changes are usually only detected during an early detection examination by an ophthalmologist. This should be done at regular intervals – regardless of body weight. Because the risk of glaucoma increases with age, screening is recommended from the age of 40 at the latest. “For people with risk factors, the examinations should begin even earlier,” emphasises Schuster. These include:
The most important risk factor, however, is excessive intraocular pressure. This refers to the pressure on the inner wall of the eye that maintains the distance between the lens, cornea and retina. Here, too, symptoms usually only appear late.
Those affected complain of eye pain, nausea and headaches. The high eye pressure leads to swelling of the cornea, causing veils and rainbow-like rings to be seen around light sources. Medication, but also a healthy diet, sufficient sleep, exercise and stress reduction can help to alleviate the symptoms and reduce the intraocular pressure.