Macular degeneration refers to any condition in which there is damage to the macula, the central part of your eye that is responsible for central vision. Over time this deterioration may cause blurry or distorted vision but does not usually lead to total blindness as peripheral (side) vision remains clear. Macular degeneration is common among Americans over 50.

The macula is responsible for your central vision and allows you to read, drive, thread a needle or recognize faces with clarity. Although small in size, its sensitive senses make up a greater percentage of retinal detail than any other part. It plays an essential role in reading, driving and threading needles as well as seeing faces clearly.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, commonly referred to as ascorbic acid, is essential to the body for maintaining strong bones, blood vessels and skin health. Ascorbic acid can be found naturally in fruits and vegetables. While no definitive treatment exists to combat macular degeneration yet, research suggests that antioxidant vitamins may slow its progress.

Macular degeneration affects the central retina at the back of the eye known as the macula, responsible for central vision including color and fine detail perception. It is the leading cause of blindness among people over 65 years of age. Macular degeneration often manifests itself with blurriness or dark areas appearing in the center visual field that make reading, driving or seeing faces difficult; but usually does not result in complete blindness because peripheral (side) vision remains clear.

Manoj Singh, MD of UC Health states that while macular degeneration does not have a cure, several dietary supplements, lifestyle modifications and regular visits to an ophthalmologist can reduce further vision loss risk. These may include eating a balanced diet containing plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish; quitting smoking; protecting eyes from UV light by wearing protective sunglasses; as well as wearing sunglasses to shield their vision from sunlight.

Macular degeneration most frequently takes the form of dry AMD, where deposits of yellow or white spots called drusen form under the retina and cause blurred central vision and make straight lines appear wavy. Wet macular degeneration, which is more severe, occurs when abnormal blood vessels form under the retina that leak blood and fluid into it; this can quickly lead to central vision loss as well as creating blind spots at the center of an eyeball.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that protects eyes from oxidative damage. It’s found in vegetable oils (particularly safflower and corn oil), nuts, green leafy vegetables, wheat germ and several tocotrienols; its various forms are alpha tocopherol, beta tocopherol gamma tocopherol delta tocopherol as well as four tocotrienols. Vitamin E provides many health benefits including reduced risks of macular degeneration cataracts cardiovascular disease while stabilizing free radicals; deficiency is rare while symptoms include hemolytic anemia neurologic deficits (including spinocerebellar ataxia with deep tendon reflex loss limb weakness poor vibration sense and ophthalmoplegia).

Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenes belonging to the carotenoids family, are pigments found naturally in the retina of the eye that act as antioxidants to delay aging of vision. Studies indicate that those consuming higher levels of these two pigments in their diet have lower risks for developing chronic eye diseases; good sources for both include dark green leafy vegetables, egg yolks, oranges, strawberries and papayas.

Age Related Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is one of the main causes of blindness among Americans aged 60 or over, affecting part of the eye known as the macula and leading to central vision loss with straight lines appearing distorted. Although its exact cause remains unknown, its progression may be reduced with certain nutritional supplements that reduce risk significantly; according to one large scientific study involving 1,250 high risk individuals taking this combination containing vitamins C & E plus zinc + beta carotene significantly reduced their risk.

Lutein & Zeaxanthin

Lutein and zeaxanthin are two naturally-occurring carotenoids found in the eye that belong to the antioxidant family, helping reduce damage caused by oxygen and light exposure. Working together with vitamins C and E, they protect retinal tissue. According to studies, those who consume more lutein and zeaxanthin have a decreased risk of macular degeneration.

These vitamins act as filters that absorb harmful blue wavelengths of light and protect both retina and optic nerve from exposure to UV rays. Studies have demonstrated that taking more of these vitamins through food sources such as kale, spinach and collard greens or as nutritional supplements may slow down age related macular degeneration progression.

One study reported that taking a combination of vitamins lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids reduced macular degeneration progression by 43 percent compared to beta-carotene alone. Although these findings are encouraging, additional research must be conducted to confirm them and discover which nutritional supplements provide the optimal treatment of age related macular degeneration.

Visudyne is another promising treatment for macular degeneration, administered via eye injection. This drug works to block vascular growth and blood flow within the retina, thus protecting against further vision loss. Visudyne works by inhibiting proteins involved in creating abnormal blood vessels within macula regions of retina.

Lutein and zeaxanthin supplements provide a source of orange-hued carotenoids found in many dark green vegetables as well as yellow and orange fruits such as oranges, pineapples and goji berries. Furthermore, these orange carotenes can be found in fish species like sardines, salmon and trout as well as in egg yolks.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

The macula is the central portion of your retina that allows you to clearly perceive fine details while driving, reading, recognizing faces and colors, as well as distinguishing straight lines crookedly or objects appearing out-of-focus. When not functioning properly, vision may become clouded or dim and macular degeneration symptoms may include straight lines appearing crookedly or objects out-of-focus – however macular degeneration rarely causes total blindness and recent research suggests certain antioxidant vitamins and minerals could help slow or stop its progress.

Macular degeneration’s most prevalent form is dry form, characterized by gradual retinal thinning and yellow deposits beneath the retina known as drusen. The first signs of dry form macular degeneration usually accompany gradually blurred central vision; an OCT scan can provide early identification.

Though no cure exists for dry macular degeneration, recent studies have demonstrated that regular consumption of foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin may reduce your risk of wet form macular degeneration, which involves blood vessels bleeding within the macula that can be detected using fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA).

Experts also suggest eating a well-rounded diet consisting of leafy green vegetables, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables as well as taking daily supplement containing lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C, E and zinc; including omega-3 fatty acids for optimal eye health. MacuHealth with LMZ3 has been clinically proven to restore macular pigments while helping slow or stop age related macular degeneration progression.

Antioxidants

Studies conducted on animals and patients demonstrate the efficacy of using natural antioxidants such as resveratrol, carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids as dietary antioxidants to slow or prevent macular degeneration progression. Oxidative stress plays a significant role in both macular degeneration and glaucoma pathologies; by increasing our defense systems against this form of damage through using antioxidants we can prevent more macular damage occurring over time.

Macular degeneration occurs when the central portion of the retina degenerates, leading to blurred vision and is the leading cause of blindness among people over age 55. About 85% to 90% of cases involve dry form macular degeneration while 10%-15% involve wet form macular degeneration caused by leaky blood vessels under the retina, leading to central vision loss.

The macula is the part of the retina that receives visual images and processes them for transmission to our brains, enabling us to see fine detail while driving or reading a book. Macular degeneration may result in abnormal yellow deposits called drusen which gradually reduce central vision over time, making daily tasks such as driving or reading challenging and impairing daily performance. Peripheral vision remains generally unaffected.

A healthy diet includes an assortment of natural antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds – such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin; isoflavones flavonoids quercetin resveratrol vitamin C E etc – that are abundantly found. By including such antioxidants in our daily meals we may lower our risk of AMD, heart disease cancer diabetes aging.