No end in sight

If it seems like I write a lot about obesity and diabetes, that’s because, well… I do. Fact is, the world would be a thinner, healthier place if we didn’t have to struggle with either of these deadly conditions.

But unfortunately, that’s just not the world we live in.

One out of every three people in this country is morbidly obese. And thanks in part to that number, diabetes rates just keep on skyrocketing. It’s a true crisis, complete with a seemingly endless list of dire consequences.

Today, I want to focus on one of those consequences… with a little extra emphasis on the word focus.

New research shows that non-refractive vision impairment–which includes conditions like glaucoma and cataracts–increased by 20 percent in the United States between 1999 and 2008.

That’s a 20 percent jump in less than a decade.

And what’s the likely culprit behind this shocking trend? You guessed it. Researchers are pointing the finger at diabetes.

A sharp increase in diabetes incidence was the only factor that differed dramatically between this most recent study population and earlier study populations used to track vision loss. And the shift was especially noticeable in cases of long-term diabetes (those lasting 10 years or more).

Needless to say, these findings don’t bode well for the future. As I mentioned recently, childhood obesity rates are higher than ever. And once these obese children become diabetic adolescents and adults, the news will only get worse.

If you value your vision (and who doesn’t?), it’s critical that you protect your eyes over the long haul. And luckily, there are lots of ways to do that.

In fact, I’ll be discussing just that–more specifically, how to save your sight from cataracts–in the next issue of my newsletter Logical Health Alternatives.

If this latest study’s findings are any indication, your timing really couldn’t be better.

Source:
“Prevalence of Nonrefractive Visual Impairment in US Adults and Associated Risk Factors, 1999-2002 and 2005-2008.” JAMA. 2012;308(22):2361-2368. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.85685.