Eye weirdness after exercises

[Nancy T]

My eyes (especially the left one) feel "weird" after doing back exercises, namely, pulling knees to chest while lying down.

It's hard to describe; it's not blur, but it feels like intense eyestrain or perhaps "weakness" like when you first wake up in the morning. It goes away after half an hour or so.

Is this perhaps due to increased abdominal pressure, which I feel strongly while doing the exercises? (I am fat around the middle--still 40 lbs overweight.) I pull up each knee 5 times, 30-60 seconds each, then both knees 5 times, again holding for 30-60 seconds.

In general, is increased abdominal pressure bad for the eyes?

Thanks for any info!

Nancy

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Best of luck Nancy.
JH

[Nancy T]

Thanks much, Dr. Hagan. I should check with my ophthalmologist. Not sure if this post-exercise thing is related to my longstanding problem of ghosting after reading looking down, but the weird "weak" feeling in my left eye is very similar to the one I get after reading looking down (if I read without my extra-strong reading glasses, which prevent the ghosting). And tonight I see that my left eye is indeed blurry compared to the right.

Thanks so much for the info!!

Nancy T.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

This is unusual. No abs exercises are normally not bad for the eye. Suggst you get an eye exam by an Eye MD. If normal then you can decide whether to put up with the discomfort or to try a different set of exercises

JC H MD