Obesity linked to blindness,says study

Virani was recently operated in his right eye and on Thursday,the cataract in his left eye was knocked out. “He has regained full vision in his right eye and will soon regain vision in the other eye,” said Dr Cyres Mehta,Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Director Mehta International Eye Institute.  

Not many know that obesity leads to risk of sight loss. “There are no studies conducted in India on obesity leading to cataract. But there are studies abroad that link obesity with diabetes,” said Dr Mehta.

The Royal National Institute of the Blind in UK in a report stated the obese are at risk of cataract and age-related macular degeneration — the most common cause of sight loss.

According to the report,those who are obese also have double risk of cataract,which is linked to one in four cases of sight loss in the over-75 lakh population in the UK. Obesity also significantly increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes,which is linked to diabetic retinopathy. The risk of sight loss through diabetes is also particularly high in people from Asian and African backgrounds,who are four to five times more likely to develop diabetes. There is also a link between being severely overweight and glaucoma,caused by pressure within the eye.