How Do I Know Which Supplements I Should Take to Preserve My Vision?

Anyone who is part of the macular degeneration world has probably heard a lot of different information about ‘taking vitamins’ or vitamin supplementation. But, vitamin supplementation is just not an easy thing to understand. There’s so much information out there on macular degeneration and vitamins that it can feel completely overwhelming.

I’m here to try to help!

Why do we take eye vitamins?

I often see people struggle with taking vitamins and supplements because their vision continues to deteriorate in spite of taking them. The way I like to explain it is that our goal with taking vitamins is never really to cure any illness but to give our bodies (and in our case our eyes) their best fighting chance to continue to work properly.

Vision preservation

In other words, the goal is to have healthier eyes for a greater chance at vision preservation. Just think... even though your vision may continue to deteriorate, it doesn’t mean that your vitamin supplements aren’t doing any good. It could possibly have deteriorated more... never know!

What works for one doesn't always work for all

Everyone has their own opinion on what to take and what works best for all. I wish it were that simple, but that just isn’t the way that this works. Each of our bodies is a unique complex system that reacts and responds to things differently than they do to others.

Think of allergies

Try to think about it this way, some people are allergic to peanuts or shellfish while others aren’t. Some people are intolerant to gluten, others aren’t. Vitamins and supplements are the same way.

Figuring out what needs to be supplemented

What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. Because of this, it’s extremely important to know your own personal needs when it comes to supplementation. Do you eat a lot of fish and seafood? Great, you may not need to take Omega-3 fatty acids. I know for sure that I don’t eat enough seafood so I choose to supplement Omega-3 fatty acids in my daily supplementation routine.

Besides knowing your body and your own personal needs well, there are a few other things you can do to ‘know’ which vitamins you should spend your money on.

Talk to your doctor

Chatting with our doctors and specialists is a great place to start. They are generally well versed in the science behind the different vitamins and why we should take certain supplements for eye health. If your doctor isn’t extremely knowledgeable about this, then I might suggest seeking a second opinion.

Research, research, research

I know this doesn’t sound like the most fun thing you’ve ever done, but I promise you it really helps. If you don’t know where to start, guess what? You’re already in the right place! MacularDegeneration.net has a lot of information on vitamins and supplements for eye health. If you go to our website, you can search for words like ‘vitamins,’ ‘AREDS,’ ‘lutein,’ ‘zeaxanthin,’ or even what to do if vitamins are giving you a ‘stomachache.'

Ask questions

If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, please feel free to send us a private message. We’re here for you and are eager to help in any way we can.

Genetic testing

This may seem a little drastic for macular degeneration, right? It wasn’t for me. Preserving my vision is one of my top priorities. Genetic testing was simple and affordable, so why not? In doing so, I found out that the zinc in the AREDS vitamin formulas was hurting my vision, not helping it. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty glad to know that. Now, instead of taking the AREDS 2 formula, I take a different formula that is without zinc.

Eye health is unique

It isn’t always easy to know which vitamins or supplements to take when battling any disease, including macular degeneration. But, it is important to understand your personal goals and needs when it comes to your unique eye health.

Knowledge is power,

Andrea Junge