Maintaining Eye Health

Macular degeneration is a chronic, progressive condition. When you live with macular degeneration, you may need to make a variety of lifestyle changes to maintain and support your eye health.

Healthy weight and blood pressure

Obesity and high blood pressure have been linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), so maintaining a healthy weight is important for both overall and eye health. In fact, one study found that obesity increased the risk of developing late AMD by 32 percent.^1-3

High blood pressure (hypertension), which is often associated with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, has been linked with lower choroidal blood flow, possibly increasing the risk of developing AMD.⁴

Exercise

Regular exercise help you reduce your blood pressure and maintain a healthy weight. Before starting any exercise routine, talk to your doctor about whether it is safe for you to do so.

It is also importanttake all the necessary precautions based on yourvisual impairments. For example, take someone with you when you exercise, and choose a trainer who has experience with low-vision clients.

Diet and nutrition

If you have AMD, Stargardt disease, or myopic macular degeneration, a healthy diet and balanced nutrition can help promote general eye health and overall health.

Research shows that diet and nutrition play a part in eye health and macular degeneration, and along with supplementation, modifying your diet might help slow down the progression of macular degeneration and promote eye health.^1,2,5

A healthy diet

A healthy diet is important for overall health, especially if you live with a chronic health condition. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables will provide antioxidants, which help foster eye health. Foods like green leafy vegetables, along with foods high in protein and foods with reasonable amounts of unsaturated fat are parts of a healthy diet that can help you maintain a lower weight and boost your immune system and eye health.¹

Glycemic index and AMD

The glycemic index (GI) of foods might also be related to AMD risk. The GI is determined by how quickly foods containing carbohydrates raise your blood sugar. If a food has a high GI, it raises your blood sugar more rapidly and abruptly than one with a low GI. This is why a mix of foods with various glycemic indices is ideal. Fat and fiber often reduce the GI of a food. A higher GI diet may be linked to an increased risk of early AMD, and diets higher in fiber and lower-GI foods may be associated with a reduced risk of early AMD.⁶

Obtaining nutrients

If you’re at risk for macular degeneration or have already been diagnosed, it’s important to consume certain nutrients in quantities that can be difficult to obtain from diet alone.

AREDS and AREDS2

The AREDS and AREDS2 studies examined people with intermediate dry AMD and found that certain nutrients helped reduce the risk of progression to advanced AMD. There was an original formulation from the AREDS study that included vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, zinc oxide, and cupric oxide. However, the AREDS2 study yielded some information that led to modifications of the suggested nutrients.⁷

AREDS2 formulation

The AREDS2 formulation is⁷:

• Vitamin C (500 mg)
• Vitamin E (400 IU)
• Lutein (10 mg)
• Zeaxanthin (2 mg)
• Zinc (80 mg)
• Copper (2 mg)

This formulation is available as a single pill both over the counter and as a prescription. Before taking these supplements, talk with your doctors and make sure they are safe for you.

Practicing a well-rounded lifestyle

While diet and nutrition are important in maintaining general health and promoting eye health and have the potential to slow down the progression of macular degeneration, it’s important to remember that they won’t reverse macular degeneration or stop it completely. Food should not be used as a replacement for medical treatment but rather as part of a well-rounded lifestyle to help preserve your vision and overall health for as long as possible.

Talk with your eye doctor and primary care doctor about how you can make healthy changes and how they may impact your macular degeneration. Your doctors will be able to provide you with resources for your health journey.