Lower hand grip strength associated with low visual acuity and other ocular parameters of patient: BMJ

Germany: A new article published in BMJ Ophthalmology showed shorter axial length, visual impairment, lower intraocular pressure, a thinner layer of peripapillary retinal nerve fibers, and a greater prevalence of diabetic retinopathy are all linked to a decreased hand grip strength (HGS).

Previous studies have shown reduced hand grip strength to be related to all-cause mortality, stroke, and cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality, and to ocular parameters of low vision and age-related cataracts. Considering this, Mukharram M. Bikbov and colleagues conducted the study to investigate the relationships between hand grip strength and ocular indices and illnesses.

Participants from the Ural Eye and Medical Study were enrolled in this population-based cohort study for the purpose of data analysis. Out of the 7328 eligible people who were 40 years of age or older, 5899 (80.5%) had systemic and ophthalmological exams, including dynamometric hand grip strength measurement.

The key findings of this study are as follows:

1. Higher HGS correlated with better visual acuity, longer ocular axial length, higher intraocular pressure, thicker peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, and lower prevalence of diabetic retinopathy.

2. The presence of nuclear cataract, cortical cataract, subcapsular posterior cataract, open-angle glaucoma, and angle-closure glaucoma were not associated with HGS in the model.

A lower HGS correlated with lower visual acuity, but not with the hearing loss score, the researchers noted, suggesting that vision loss as compared with hearing loss played a more important part in HGS and its associated factors.

In conclusion, a lower HGS is linked to visual impairment, a shorter axial length, a lower intraocular pressure, a thinner layer of nerve fibers in the peripapillary retina, a greater prevalence of diabetic retinopathy, and other factors, including less physical activity, a higher depression score, and worse general health status. 

"Measurement of hand grip strength or a handshake may provide the ophthalmologist additional clinical information about the general health and ocular parameters of the patient," the researchers wrote in their study. 

Reference: 

Bikbov, M. M., Zainullin, R. M., Gilmanshin, T. R., Iakupova, E. M., Kazakbaeva, G. M., Panda-Jonas, S., Tuliakova, A. M., Fakhretdinova, A. A., Gilemzianova, L. I., & Jonas, J. B. (2022). Hand grip strength and ocular associations: the Ural Eye and Medical Study. In British Journal of Ophthalmology (p. bjophthalmol-2022-321404). BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo-2022-321404