Basic concepts of exercise physiology for the vision and eye research community

Abstract

The epidemiology of the second half of the 20th century has been marked by a transition from infectious to non‐communicable diseases. Instead of having a unique etiological cause, the non‐communicable diseases are believed to develop by the temporal confluence of several risk factors on a given individual. Risk factors of genetic origin are considered non‐modifiable nowadays. In contrast, behavioural risk factors, including lifestyle, are considered modifiable, and, therefore the preventive and adjuvant interventions aimed to reduce the risk or modify the natural course of non‐communicable diseases are based in lifestyle changes.Since the seminal work of Jeremy Morris in the 50's (the so‐called “London Bus Study”) epidemiological evidences have been accumulating over time on the potential role of a reduced physical activity in every domain of daily life as a risk factor for several non‐modifiable diseases. This is aggravated by the progressive trend of a reduced physical activity performed by the worldwide population during the last decades. The relationship of physical inactivity and/or sedentarism with several systemic diseases is clearly proven nowadays, and the underlying pathophysiological explanations are starting to be understood.In contrast what it happens in other organs or systems the potential effects of physical activity on ocular physiology and/or pathophysiology are still almost unknown. The design and development of future studies focused on these topics would need that the eye and vision research community is familiarized with: a) the current terminology on the field of physical activity and exercise; b) the hormetic properties of exercise, and consequently, the differences among acute responses and chronic adaptations to it; and, c) the potential physiological mechanisms ‐ranging from classical neuroendocrine responses to the recent concept of exerquines‐ that may explain them. All of them will be presented and discussed at this talk.