The Manhattan Eye and Throat Hospital conducted research over a 20 year period on the effects of weight lifting on eyes; they found that bench pressing increases compression of the optic nerve as a result of puffing and blowing, especially if you hold your breath.

A Professional of Clinical Ophthalmology, Robert Ritch once treated someone who had become blind due to repetitively doing headstands in a yoga class. He suggested when talking to the Daily Mail that weightlifters should breathe out when lifting to reduce pressure on the eye.

If you play a wind instrument you could also be putting an additional burden on your eyes from the blowing and breathing control required to play correctly reported a 2008 study in the journal of Optometry and Vision Science. This is because staining, whilst holding your breath causes blood vessels to constrict in the neck, head and chest which in-turn increases tension in the eye.

Professor Reinstein, who has a special interest in this area, said: “These surges in pressure are not a problem if you have healthy eyes. But for people predisposed to glaucoma - or suffering from it - they are harming their vision without realising it by increasing pressure on the optic nerve. They can lose 70 per cent of peripheral vision in one eye before they know what's happening as the other eye will compensate.”

High street eye tests aren’t always sufficient in the detection of glaucoma, if you are over 40 and your family has a history of glaucoma, you participant in weightlifting or play a wind instrument Professor Reinstein advices that an in-depth eye examination with an optometrist to ensure you don’t have the disease. It’s recommended that you attend these examinations on a 2 yearly basis.

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Is lifting weights really bad for your eyesight?