Age related macular degeneration or AMD is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss for people over the age of 60.  It is estimated that 2.5 million people in developed countries will suffer vision loss from this disorder and that there are approximately 200,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

The macula is the small portion of the retina located at the center of this light sensitive lining at the back of the eye.  Light rays from objects that we are looking at come to a focus on the retina and are converted into electrical impulses, which are then sent to the brain.  The macula is responsible for sharp straight- ahead vision necessary for functions such as reading, driving a car and recognizing faces.  The effect of this disease can range from mild vision loss to central blindness.  That is, blindness “straight ahead” but with normal peripheral vision from the non-macular part of the retina remains undamaged by the disease.  Ninety percent of cases of AMD are of the atrophic or dry variety.  It is characterized by a thinning of the macular tissue, develops slowly and usually only causes mild vision loss.   The main symptom is often only a dimming of vision when reading.

The second form of AMD is called exudative or wet because of the abnormal growth of new blood vessels under the macula where they leak and eventually create a large blind spot in the central vision.  This form of the disease is of much greater threat to vision than the more common dry type.  Macular degeneration is most common in people over the age of 65 but there have been some cases affecting people as young as their 40s and 50s.  Symptoms include blurry or fuzzy vision, straight lines like telephone poles and sides of buildings appearing wavy and a dark or empty area appearing in the center of vision.

Currently there is no treatment of macular degeneration.   In certain circumstances the progression of retinal damage may be slowed with a steroid injection.  Results of a large multi-factorial study found that the ingestion of certain vitamins high in antioxidants and Lutein/zeaxanthin help slow the progression of the dry form of macular degeneration.  There are several options of ‘eye vitamins’ such as Preservision but many multivitamins have all the same ingredients such as multivitamin from Biosyntrx.  Several new treatments show promise in not only slowing but may also reverse the degeneration for the wet form.