Obesity Increases Risk of Eye Diseases & Blindness

Obesity is already recognized as one of the leading preventable causes of death from heart disease and diabetes, but it's also a key factor in sight loss, according to a report from the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) in Britain. 

RNIB eye health consultant Barbara McLaughlan said, "With the huge increase in obesity that we have seen in recent years, many people are now jeopardizing their sight in later life."

The report highlights the increased risk obese people (those who have a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or above) have of developing three major causes of sight loss:

• Double the risk of age-related macular degeneration, or ARMD (a condition affecting the retina, which is the leading cause of sight loss).

• Double the risk of cataracts (a clouding of the eye lens responsible for one in four cases of sight loss in people over 75).

• Ten times the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which often leads to diabetic retinopathy (a progressive blurring of vision developed by 60 percent of type 2 diabetes sufferers).

In addition to what the British researchers discovered, a Harvard study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology found that if you have already been diagnosed with ARMD, being overweight or obese could increase the risk that the eye disease will worsen.

They found that those who were overweight or obese were more than twice as likely than the thinner patients to have their macular degeneration progress to the advanced stage of the disease during the four-and-a-half year course of the study.

Approximately 30 percent of adults over age 75 have some degree of macular degeneration. In ARMD, the macula (a tiny area of the retina that allows clear central vision) deteriorates over time, making it increasingly difficult to focus on objects directly. This affects a person's ability to do crucial tasks, such as reading and driving.

AMD is a disease that affects the retina, the sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that transmits images to the brain. Advanced AMD can destroy the detailed, central vision people need to read, drive, and enjoy daily life.

Risk factors for ARMD include smoking, high levels of unhealthy forms of fat and low levels of antioxidants.