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Nutrition and lifestyle tips to decrease your risk of developing Age-Related Macular Degeneration 
By Dr. Lorraine Parker, DC, MS

 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a devastating eye disease which painlessly robs vision. Although people rarely become totally blind, and the disease isn’t fatal, its victims can’t distinguish faces, read a newspaper or book, drive a car, watch television or walk safely. This is because the disease affects central vision only.

AMD affects about 10 million Americans. According to the Macular Degeneration Foundation, a new case is diagnosed every three minutes. Statistics predict that people in their 50s have about a two percent chance of developing AMD. The risk factor increases to almost 30 percent for people over age 75. Medical research can offer neither a cause nor a cure for AMD which affects the eye area known as the macula.

Of the three layers of eye tissue, the innermost, light-sensitive layer known as the retina is responsible for changing light energy into nerve signals. This is how your brain knows what you are seeing. Located in the middle of the retina is the exquisitely sensitive area known as the macula, which allows you to enjoy the small-scale features of your world. As the macula deteriorates, your ability to distinguish shapes and colors fades away, and your world dissolves into an indistinct blur.

The Two Forms of AMD

The disease occurs as the dry form, which accounts for approximately 90 percent of its occurrence, and the wet form. However, it’s wet AMD that accounts for 90 percent of blindness. During an eye exam, doctors recognize wet AMD by the abnormal, fragile and leaky new blood vessels growing toward the macula. The leaking blood vessels rapidly destroy the macula. About 50-75 percent of people with wet AMD are treated with laser surgery. However, the benefits are short-lived, and this is merely a palliative treatment. Because the leaky blood vessels continue to grow, the laser surgery needs to be repeated. The success rate is low and blindness follows.

The Known Risk Factors for AMD

• Age
• Gender – according to some studies, women may be at higher risk
• Family history
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Elevated blood cholesterol
• Not wearing sunglasses while outdoors – also a risk factor for cataracts

Symptoms of AMD
There is no pain associated with either the wet or dry form of AMD. A common symptom of the dry form is slightly blurred vision which may cause someone to require more light for reading or other tasks. Some people notice an increasing difficulty recognizing familiar faces until the person is very close. As the dry form slowly progresses, you may notice a distinct blurred spot in the center of your vision. Because initially only one eye can be affected, you may not notice the vision changes. People developing the wet form of AMD may notice a rapid loss of central vision. Another early symptom of wet AMD can be a wavy and distorted appearance of straight lines.

Diagnosing AMD
Eye care professionals advise that people age 40-64 years have a comprehensive eye exam every two to four years. And people 65 or older, need one every one to two years. If you have any symptoms or risk factors, more frequent eye exams are recommended. During the exam, your doctor uses an Amsler Grid as a screening test for wet AMD. But some people don’t see blurred, distorted or wavy lines on the Amsler Grid. Another early sign that you doctor can detect are small, yellow deposits in the retina called drusen. The drusen aren’t necessarily a hallmark for the disease but may forecast future vision problems.

Treatments for AMD
The only treatments available are more powerful eyeglasses and machines that enlarge print. Laser surgery only slows the relentless progression of wet AMD. A new treatment for wet AMD, called Photodynamic Therapy, is undergoing testing at Johns Hopkins University. It’s a combination treatment using a light-sensitive medication called Visudyne which is injected into an arm vein while a laser light is beamed into the eye. The therapy, described as a “smart missile,” damages abnormal new blood vessels while leaving normal vessels and tissue alone. The therapy requires additional treatments and only postpones the inevitable. A drawback is that Photodynamic Therapy is only recommended for people who are newly diagnosed with wet AMD.

Preventing AMD
Because the treatment choices are bleak, prevention appears to be the only option. The exciting news is that prevention may be as straightforward as eating your fruits and vegetables. Researchers are demonstrating that food substances known as carotenoids, especially lutein and zeaxanthin may help reduce your risk of developing AMD. These two carotenoids are selectively accumulated by body in the retina and macula of the eye. They filter out visible blue light which theoretically causes the damage.

Dr. Joanne Curran-Celentano, of the University of New Hampshire found an abnormally thin layer of these two carotenoids in the eyes of people with AMD. Then she discovered that a diet high in these substances can thicken the macula. You can find these two miracles in dark, leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, collard and mustard greens.

A study presented in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that these carotenoids may decrease your risk of developing AMD by 43 percent. The article also stated that vitamins A, C, and E, due to their antioxidant properties, can protect the macula from deteriorating.

Following the dietary guidelines of the “rule of five” and eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily can protect your eyesight. If you don’t get enough fruits and vegetables from your diet, you can purchase lutein and zeaxanthin as supplements. Or buy an eye-care formula which contains these two nutrients plus the other antioxidants.

For More Information and Support
If you have AMD, know someone who does or simply want more information, contact the following organizations:

Macular Degeneration Foundation – eyesight.org
Macular Degeneration Partnership – amd.org
Macular Degeneration International – maculardegeneration.org
Prevent Blindness America – information about eye health and safety and a copy of the    Amsler Grid – preventblindness.org
National Eye Institute – nei.nih.gov

 

OTHER ARTICLES BY
DR. LORRAINE PARKER, DC, MS

Nutrition and lifestyle tips to decrease your risk of developing Age-Related Macular Degeneration 

Type 2 Diabetes – The Silent Killer

Homocysteine – The New Cholesterol

Chronic inflammation increases your risk of developing heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Diabetes, cancer and other diseases. 

How you can save your aging brain. 

Olive oil, almonds, and tomatoes – three foods that provide “super” health benefits. 

Vitamin D:  Research shows it’s good for more than your bones.

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