Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2026 Jun 1;15(6):24. doi: 10.1167/tvst.15.6.24.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between accelerometer-derived moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and four common vision-threatening ocular diseases: cataract, diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma.
METHODS: A total of 77,644 UK Biobank participants with accelerometer-derived MVPA data were included. MVPA was categorized into three groups following World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (<150, 150-299, and ≥300 min/week). Incident cataract, DR, AMD, and glaucoma were identified from linked hospital and primary care records. Restricted cubic splines and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). Mediation analysis was performed to explore potential mechanisms.
RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 6.2 years, 4283 cataract, 248 DR, 891 AMD, and 762 glaucoma events occurred. We identified an L-shaped association for cataract and a nonlinear association for DR (both P < 0.001; P < 0.05 for nonlinearity), a modest negative association for AMD (P = 0.028; P = 0.026 for nonlinearity), and no significant association for glaucoma. Compared with the reference group (<150 min/week), the groups achieving 150-299 min/week and ≥300 min/week of MVPA exhibited significantly lower risks of cataract (HR = 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.84-0.98 for 150-299 min/week; and HR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.82-0.95 for ≥300 min/week), and DR (HR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.45-0.86 for 150-299 min/week; and HR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.37-0.71 for ≥300 min/week). Mediation analysis indicated that inflammatory and metabolic indicators partially mediated the protective effect of MVPA on DR.
CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of MVPA were associated with significantly lower risks of cataract and DR, with partial mediation through inflammatory and metabolic pathways for DR.
TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: Our findings highlight MVPA as a potentially modifiable behavioral factor for ocular disease prevention.
PMID:42329076 | DOI:10.1167/tvst.15.6.24