Can Lifestyle affect near sight?

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Can Lifestyle affect our near sight?

  • IRAS ID

    176969

  • Contact name

    Phillip Buckhurst

  • Contact email

    phillip.buckhurst@plymouth.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Plymouth University

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    3 years, 0 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    Accommodation is defined as the change in the focusing power of the eye; this is achieved by a change in shape and size of the crystalline lens. Presbyopia is the loss of accommodation, which begins from birth and continues throughout life, until the age of around 55 years when an individual reaches ‘absolute’ presbyopia, where all accommodation is effectively lost.
    Presbyopia results from an increasing protein concentration in the crystalline lens and is strongly associated with age. It is already known that risk factors, such as: age and diabetes can also affect the accommodative ability of an individual. There is a gap in the literature as to whether the modifiable risk factors which can influence the physiological levels of oxidative stress, can also influence the accommodative ability of an individual, and therefore affect the rate of development of presbyopia. The purpose of this study is to investigate and identify links between certain lifestyle factors such as smoking, levels of physical activity, body shape and BMI, nutrient intake, risk of CVD and the rate of development of presbyopia.

  • REC name

    Wales REC 6

  • REC reference

    15/WA/0108

  • Date of REC Opinion

    23 Mar 2015

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion