A recent study showed that walking at least 10,000 steps per day seemed to offer protection against worsening glaucoma based on optic disc vessel density. They took 74 patients with glaucoma and had half of them walk 10,000 or more steps per day (12,782 average) and the other half walked less than 10,000 steps per day (7,418 average). Those in the higher step group had higher vessel densities than those in the lower step group at the end of the study. Vessel density at the optic nerve is associated with ocular blood flow, which decreases in glaucoma.
Our OCTA measures the same vessel density that was used in this study. For my glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients, be sure to let me know how many steps you are getting daily. It will be interesting to see if your average optic nerve vessel density improves like the above study.
Walking more than 10,000 steps per day may be associated with increased optic disc vessel density in patients with primary open angle glaucoma.
36.6 vessel density
53.8 vessel density
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