Factors associated with macular degeneration

Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 4:08 pm Post in Eye Diseases

A large European study revealed that the combination of too few antioxidants in diet and exposure to blue light (HEV) rays can significantly increase the risk of developing advanced macular degeneration. Blue light alone is never linked with any kind of macular degeneration. However, low consumption of antioxidants such as vitamin C and zinc can make blue light rays more harmful. Besides taking more nutrients from vegetables and fruits, older people should also get HEV protection from proper sunglasses.

Alcohol consumption has been rule out as risk factor for AMD. However, post-menopause women with declining levels of the hormone estrogen are more likely to suffer advanced forms of age-related macular degeneration. Estrogen intake can considerably decrease the risk of advanced AMD. Another unexpected finding is that hormone replacement therapy increases the risk of early forms of macular degeneration.

Findings by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine scientists in 2008 pointed out that Caucasians were more likely to have advanced and blinding forms of macular degeneration than African Americans. In addition, early signs such as yellowish spots in the retina also occurred more in Caucasians. The study concluded that African Americans had less risk of suffering macular degeneration.

Smoking is closed linked to lung cancer. A study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology in 2008 worked out that smoking can also raise the risk of AMD by as high as 50%. With longer smoking history, the rate of developing AMD at early ages is relatively higher. The effect of secondary exposure to smoke on macular degeneration is yet unavailable, because smoking in public areas are prohibited by federal laws.

The two pigments lutein and zeaxanthin found in yellow and dark green vegetables have been reported to reduce the risk of macular degeneration. The National Eye Institute study including 4,500 participants pointed out that lutein and zeaxanthin can prevent harmful short-wavelength light from damaging the retina.