Obesity may be fueling rise in vision problems

The studies showing the effects of obesity on vision shouldn’t be surprising since the obesity epidemic affects most areas of health and wellness. The obesity epidemic here in the U.S. is becoming a world-wide phenomenon thanks  in-part to Western fast and processed food. It doesn’t have to be like this. We can change this and obesity and it’s resulting diseases like diabetes are reversible. Since 1990, Slender For Life™ weight loss hypnosis clients successfully lose weight and learn self hypnosis to keep it off. Over the years I have witnessed countless improvements in health. Many no longer need medications for diabetes. Many no longer need a CPAP machine for sleep. Many no longer have symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. Frequently the word “miracle” is used by hypnosis weight loss clients. How about you? If you are overweight or obese, are you ready to take action for your health in 2013?

Vision Problems Rising Rapidly in the U.S.

WebMD Health News, December 11, 2012: The diabetes and obesity epidemics may be fueling a dramatic rise in the number of people with vision problems, a new study suggests.

Rates of vision problems that can’t be treated with glasses or contact lenses, known as nonrefractive vision problems, increased by 21% between two survey periods: 1999 to 2002 and 2005 to 2008. The findings suggest that as many as 700,000 more people developed these types of vision problems in a short amount of time.

Nonrefractive vision problems include glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetes-related eye disease. They are caused by underlying diseases. Many of these diseases are age-related and would not be expected to increase among young people. Diabetes, however, is occurring in younger and younger people.

“The increasing diabetes prevalence in the U.S. is leading to more vision loss,” says researcher David S. Friedman, MD, PhD, MPH. He is the director of the Dana Center for Preventive Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute and Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. “We have to recognize that this is a large public health problem so we can start developing methods to deal with it.”

The findings appear in the Dec. 12 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association.

“The number of people who have had diabetes for more than 10 years has more than doubled in the last six or seven years,” Friedman says. The new findings are likely just the tip of the iceberg. If current diabetes rates continue, “we will see more and more people with diabetes and vision impairment.”

Preventing diabetes in the first place is key to preserving vision, he says. This includes losing weight (if necessary), eating a healthier diet, and getting regular exercise. But, he says, “if you have diabetes, make sure get your eyes checked, as this type of vision loss is preventable.”

The findings should also serve as a wake-up call for teens and young adults who are at risk for diabetes. “Things are not looking good for you if you are overweight, not eating right, and not getting exercise,” he says. “These nonrefractive eye problems often strike older people, but diabetes is the great equalizer.”

Read Vision Problems Rising Rapidly in the U.S.

Dr. Friedman is right, “Things are not looking good for you if you are overweight, not eating right, and not getting exercise.” But, this is changeable. You are the one in control of what you eat, how much you eat and ultimately your weight. What you eat is one of the few things in life that we really do have control over. You can learn self hypnosis and take action for your health in 2013. With weight loss hypnosis you can minimize the risks of obesity and its resulting diseases.

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