Nutritional supplement for age-related macular degeneration

ABSTRACT

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the elderly in developed countries but therapeutic options are limited. Many observational studies have shown that a high dietary intake of antioxidants, fish oil, and carotenoids is associated with a lower risk of prevalent and incident AMD. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 1 demonstrated that routine supplementation with a certain formulation of vitamins C, E, β-carotene, and zinc with copper reduces the risk of worsening AMD and severe vision loss by 25% over a 6-year period in patients with intermediate or advanced AMD in 1 eye or intermediate AMD in both eyes. The recent Age- Related Eye Disease Study 2 demonstrated that a certain combination of lutein and zeaxanthin is a safe and effective alternative to β-carotene, which is known to be associated with lung cancer in smokers. The aim of this review focuses on the role of supplements in the treatment and prevention of AMD and sums up the recent findings about the micronutrients most frequently used for AMD.