Hello doctors,
First of all, big fan of the work you guys do, many thanks.
So, a few years back I woke up with my left eye being completely blind (I could see light sources but absolute no detail) after managing to see an eye doctor they diagnosed it as Retinal Vein Occlusion. Many tests and investigations were carried out to determine the cause (I am a 32M) and strength training was a possible cause due to blood pressure spikes during letting. Some doctors told me to stop strength training as it’s bad for everyone, other doctors told me that strength training would have nothing to do with my eyes. So far I periodically (every few months) get bleeds, even after having laser surgery to cauterise the affected area. I never lift anything over an RPE8 to try to keep the intensity down, do you have any thoughts or heard of anything similar??
Thanks in advance
Mark
I don’t have strong opinions on this, but I do not buy the explanation that strength training caused an isolated unilateral retinal vein occlusion, or that you should be required to avoid exertion for the rest of your life as a practical strategy.
This was my basic line of thought back to the doctor when they asked me why I even needed to strength train in the first place. I was more curious to see if you have heard of this before to give me more insight into what is causing it. Thanks for the response.
This suggests that they are unfamiliar with current physical activity guidelines that have strong evidence to support them. Regardless, you do not have to justify such a choice to a doctor either.
Yes, I have heard of / seen this issue before, but I am not an ophthalmologist so am not an expert in the area. It can be related to blockages due to blood clots or certain vascular issues. In some situations when this happens in young individuals, it can prompt an evaluation for blood clotting issues (known as “hypercoagulable disorders”) - particularly if there is a family history of blood clots.