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New Research on Vitamins May Reduce Macular Degeneration

As the population ages, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is becoming more prevalent. Two recent studies about different vitamins may hold the answer to managing and slowing down the deleterious effects of this serious disease.

The first study shows that people with increased levels of vitamin D are less likely to have an early onset of this sight-threatening condition. In this study, women who consumed the most vitamin D had a 59 percent lower risk of developing AMD, compared to age-matched women who took in the least vitamin D.

Vitamin D is available in many foods and is produced naturally by your body during exposure to the sun’s UV rays. Still, many experts recommend taking a daily supplement to increase your vitamin D levels.

Meanwhile, scientists at Columbia University are trying to slow down the progrrssion of AMD by slowing down the buildup of vitamin A in the eye.

In order for the retina to process light, vitamin A has to undergo a series of chemical transformations, which often causes the vitamin to form ‘clumpy’ deposits. These deposits are the basis of AMD.

Now a team at the department of ophthalmology at Columbia’s Harkness Eye Institute, have synthesized a modified vitamin A drug. By feeding this artificial vitamin A to healthy mice, the experts were able to reduce the amount of vitamin A deposits without any noticeable side effects. These findings may eventually help to reduce the risk of, and in some cases stop, the condition in its tracks.

While these two studies show hope in the treatment of AMD, until more concrete results are produced patients need to take the condition seriously. Anyone with a family history of Macular Degeneration should visit their optometrist yearly for a comprehensive eye exam. If your eye doctor has seen early signs of AMD, your may need to be seen more frequently.

Healthy Habits Can Cut Your Risk of Eye Disease

A new study has suggested that women who exercise, eat right, and don’t smoke can possibly cut their risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by more than two-thirds.

The authors wrote:

Adopting these healthy habits may markedly lower the prevalence of early AMD, the number of people who develop advanced AMD in their lifetime, and healthcare costs associated with treatment for this condition.

Participants in the study previously gave researchers a detailed dietary and lifestyle history about six years before AMD was assessed, making them ideal to look at to examine links between behavioral factors and AMD, a leading cause of vision loss among U.S. adults ages 60 and older.

Self-reported diets at baseline were scored according to the content of relatively healthy foods, such as whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and milk, as well as unhealthy foods including saturated fats, sodium, and added sugar.

Responses to questionnaire items on recreational and household physical activity were translated into estimated energy expenditures, expressed as metabolic energy task-hours (MET-hours) per week.

Lowered associations with AMD risk were found to be statistically significant for both diet and exercise. Interestingly, smoking by itself was not a particularly strong risk factor for AMD in this study. Compared with participants who never smoked.

But all three factors combined were a powerful indicator of AMD risk ompared to women who practiced good diet and exercise habits.

The observational study provided no hard evidence for a causal mechanism, but the researchers suggested that healthy lifestyles may keep blood pressure down, which, in turn, could reduce AMD risk.

Behavioral factors can also affect the composition of macular pigment which potentially makes the macula more or less vulnerable to various pathologies such as oxidative damage – which causes AMD.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care, a family Optometry practice in Palmetto Bay, Florida. Please call or contact our office for more information.

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Tags: AMD, Eye Disorders, eyecare, Health, Macular degeneration, optometrist, optometry, retina, vision care, vision loss

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