Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is now the leading cause of permanent vision loss in U.S. and there is consensus in the scientific community that AMD has not only a genetic, but also a lifestyle and nutritional component.  This has led us to understand that AMD can potentially be prevented.  The changes that are known to help prevent and reduce the severity of AMD are: weight control, smoking cessation, and nutritional supplementation.

We learned about the value of nutritional supplementation from The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS1), a 10-year- long, major clinical trial (completed in 2001) sponsored by the National Eye Institute (NEI).  It was designed to learn more about the risk factors and the development of AMD.  AREDS1 established that supplemental zinc, and the combination of Vitamin E, Vitamin C and beta-carotene have some modest usefulness in managing AMD.

How has nutritional supplementation moved into mainstream of managing AMD? In the years since completion of AREDS1, there have been numerous, smaller- scale studies documenting that certain omega-3 fish oils and xanthophyll carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin, and mesozeaxanthin) correlate with lower risk of AMD.  These are exciting findings.

Scientists studying the genetic component of AMD know there is a biological marker in the eye for predicting those at risk for developing AMD and cataracts.  It is called Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD). MPOD is a reading of the xanthophyll carotenoid levels in the eye which are protective and correlate with healthy vision.

Additionally, a number of studies have demonstrated that MPOD can be increased by dietary supplementation with lutein, zeaxanthin or by eating xanthophyll-rich foods.  Patients that eat green, leafy vegetables tend to have average to high MPOD levels, whereas those that avoid vegetables tend to have much lower MPOD readings.

Eye doctors examine patients looking for early indicators of AMD. The diagnostic word for these early indicators is “drusen” and “drusen” are the accumulation of oxidation by-products in the eye. Recent scientific studies have reported an actual reduction in the size of drusen with improvement in visual function in AMD patients taking a supplement containing all three macular carotenoids, in particular mesozeaxanthin. Patients with AMD have 30% less mesozeaxanthin in their macular pigment layer than those with healthy eyes.  Unfortunately, mesozeaxanthin, is rarely found in our food; it is a conversion product from lutein. Some individuals do not convert lutein into mexozeaxanthin in adequate amounts. To obtain sufficient amounts of this protective carotinoid one must take a mesozeaxanthin-based dietary supplement.  We recommend that our patients have their MPOD levels monitored every 6 months. This enables us to make appropriate dietary recommendations and to modify the doses of any additional supplements. Preventing vision loss is the number one priority of Morris Eye Group.

The doctors of Morris Eye Group have begun to routinely measure MPOD in our MapCat® Specialty Clinic, and provide this information to our patients to assist them in taking steps to possibly prevent or delay the development of AMD. In addition, a high MPOD level correlates with higher vision performance in everyone, not just patients with AMD ( i.e. reduced glare symptoms, better contrast sensitivity, and greater range of distance vision). We recommend to all patients to have their MPOD levels tested and monitored in our new MapCat® Specialty Clinic, especially individuals diagnosed with Drusen, AMD, or those who have a Family History of AMD.