Obese people are twice as likely to lose their sight, according to a new report.
The study, from the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), warns that millions of obese adults and children in the UK are at risk of damaging their sight from related conditions.
Report author and RNIB eye health consultant, Barbara McLaughlan, said previous research had shown that being obese increased the risk of developing conditions like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts.
Such conditions then carried an increased risk of permanently damaging the sight and or total blindness, she said.
Obese people are at double the risk of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) while those with a genetic predisposition to it have a risk 11 times higher than those of normal weight, she said.
Obese people are also up to 10 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and 60% of all diabetics suffer diabetic retinopathy.
Ms McLaughlan added: "Obesity doubles the risk of cataracts and increases the risk of retinal vein occlusion (where veins that drain blood out of the eye become blocked) by four times.
"With a staggering one in five adults and children in the UK now considered to be obese, RNIB believes it is vital that people are made aware of the risks to their sight. Sight is the sense we most fear losing, but most people don't do nearly enough to look after their eyes.
"To safeguard sight we recommend people maintain a healthy weight, eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, take exercise to improve general health, don't smoke and most importantly have regular eye tests.
"Many thousands of people lose their sight each year through conditions that could have been treated if picked up early enough through an eye test."
