- Steps to prevent age-related macular degeneration or slow its progression include dietary supplements, diet, and, possibly, reduced exposure to sunlight.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects the macula, the central, most sensitive part of the retina. In the United States, age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe and irreversible loss of central vision in people over age 40, affecting 1.7 million Americans, or 1.47% of people in this age group. Most people in this group have non-neovascular macular degeneration, which often does not seriously impair vision. But neovascular macular degeneration, a more severe form of the disorder, can cause vision loss.
Some studies indicate that people can take steps to prevent age-related macular degeneration or slow its progression. Steps to prevent or slow age-related macular degeneration include dietary supplements, diet, and, possibly, reduced exposure to sunlight.
The effect of dietary supplements on the risk and progression of age-related macular degeneration was investigated in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, which included more than 3,500 people (age 55 to 80). For an average of six years, participants took dietary supplements (containing antioxidants, zinc, or antioxidants plus zinc) or a placebo. None of the dietary supplements reduced the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. But in those with intermediate or advanced age-related macular degeneration, the supplement containing antioxidants plus zinc reduced the risk of more advanced age-related macular degeneration by 25%.
The antioxidant plus zinc supplement used in the study contained 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, 15 mg of beta-carotene, 80 mg of zinc oxide, and 2 mg of cupric oxide. It is sold under the brand name Ocuvite PreserVision and is available without a prescription. (Smokers and people who have recently quit smoking should not use this supplement, because the beta-carotene in it has been found to increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers.)
Other studies have suggested that eating fruits and vegetables high in carotenoids, especially those high in beta-carotene (carrots, spinach, and cantaloupes, for example), might help prevent age-related macular degeneration.
In addition, avoiding excessive exposure to sunlight has been found to be protective in some studies. In the Beaver Dam Eye Study, people who spent at least five hours a day in the summer engaged in leisure activities outdoors in their teens and 30s had twice the rate of age-related macular degeneration as those who spent fewer than two hours outside each day. In addition, people who wore hats and sunglasses tended to have a lower rate of age-related macular degeneration.
