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A recent poll found that among Americans, blindness is feared more than any other disability. One study showed that by the year 2025, the population of those over the age of 65 in the U.S. will be six times higher than it was in 1990. And it's all due to the "Baby Boomers." More and more people are turning 50 - more than any other time in history - and general life expectancy is growing.
As age related macular degeneration (AMD) is first diagnosed in those over the age of 55, expect to see many more cases. And according to the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), AMD will soon take on epidemic aspects.
But for the here and now, there are definite risk factors for AMD. First and foremost, the risk of AMD increases with age. Other risk factors include:
- Family History: Those with a family history of AMD have a higher risk of getting the disease. As an age-related condition, it is difficult to study AMD patterns within families. However, research has found that it appears to be hereditary in some families, and that both genetic and non-genetic factors play important roles.
- Obesity: Studies have suggested a link between obesity and the progression of early and intermediate stage AMD to advanced AMD.
- Race: AMD has been found to cause blindness in Whites much more than African-Americans.
- Gender: Women seem to be affected more than men by AMD.
- Hypertension: This condition -- specifically, the medication used to treat it -- tends to worsen some forms of AMD, especially the wet form.
- Smoking: Two studies in The Journal of the American Medical Association report that smoking a pack or more a day may double your likelihood of developing AMD. Smoking may limit the eye's blood and oxygen delivery, and may also quicken macular damage. This may be due to either the additional chemical compounds or the reduction of protective nutrients delivered to the eye via the bloodstream.
- Junk Food: A study in the Archives of Ophthalmology suggested that junk food, specifically those containing highly-processed vegetable, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, along with linoleic acid, may heighten the risk of developing advanced AMD. The researched foods included chocolate, cake and cookies, potato chips, and French fries.
And here are some healthy habits to pick up, in regards to warding off AMD:
- Protect Your Eyes: The potentially harmful effects of ultra-violet (UV) light and blue light may cause damage to the macula. Sources of UV light include the sun and its reflection, video display terminals and fluorescent lighting. And as for blue light, recent studies show that it may also contribute to retinal damage and AMD, by penetrating the eye's macular pigment.
- Exercise Regularly: Cardiovascular exercise improves the efficiency of the circulatory system, as well as the body's overall health. Therefore, it is a good idea to follow a regular program of cardiovascular exercise.
- Proper Nutrition: Researchers believe that there may be a link between AMD and a low-fat diet. There is evidence that eating fresh fruits and dark green, leafy vegetables may delay or reduce AMD's severity. These vegetables are rich in carotenoids, the yellowish pigments that include precursors of vitamin A. Spinach and collard greens, which contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two yellow pigments found in the macula, may be the most effective vegetables. (For more about these nutrients, click here.)
- Take Antioxidant Vitamin and Zinc Supplements: AREDS (the Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study), a study sponsored by the National Eye Institute, illustrated the importance of zinc and antioxidant vitamins to AMD. AREDS involved supplementing AMD patients with a combination of beta-carotene, high-dose zinc, and vitamins C and E. But while this combination slowed visual loss and the progression to advanced AMD, there were typically no actual vision improvements.
However, the lutein antioxidant supplementation trial (LAST) was designed to focus on improvement of vision and dry AMD symptoms. This study also utilized beta carotene, zinc (lower level due to safety concerns of high-dose zinc), vitamins C & E (at much higher but safe levels), but further supplemented it with the addition of lutein (a nutrient renowned for its vision support) and 34 other important nutrients. Low lutein intake is a major risk factor for advanced AMD. Despite its occurrence as a natural molecule in spinach, kale, collard greens and other dark green and leafy vegetables, Americans receive woefully low amounts of the molecule lutein, with the average person receiving only 1-2 mg daily. The LAST study was designed to evaluate lutein's effects -- either alone, or combined with additional carotenoids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals (in the form of Nutraceutical Sciences Institute's® [NSI®] OcuPower®).
For a detailed overview of the nutrients found in OcuPower, click here. And for a full description of the LAST study and its findings, click here.
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