macular degeneration vitamins are one of the leading treatments for macular degeneration vitamins supplements may be helpful macular degeneration vitamins and macular degeneration vitamins

Macular Degeneration Vitamins

macular degeneration vitamins

Macular Degeneration Vitamins in the News

A ground-breaking major study was sponsored by the National Eye Institute, one of the Federal government’s National Institutes of Health, and conducted at 11 major medical center research facilities around the country - The Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).

 

 

 macular degeneration vitamins promote visual health
 

Where Are These Supplements Available?

 

Will taking supplements prevent eye disease?

   

Two formulas from major pharmaceutical manufacturers exist which exactly duplicate the formula in the Age Related Eye Disease Study. For information regarding the manufacturers and availability of these supplements, CLICK HERE.

 In the absence of any disease, there is no research published that shows that taking vitamins can prevent it. However, the AREDS study did show, if there was disease in only one eye, that taking proper supplements prevented or slowed the progress of the disease in the opposite eye.
   

Which Supplements are Important?

  
   

In that study, specific ingredients and amounts were found to slow the progression of disease in those patients with intermediate or advanced disease. It is believed that these supplements contain specific anti-oxidants and Zinc that promote the continued health of the retina and tissues surrounding the retina.

  
 
High doses of certain dietary supplements provide the first effective treatment for the leading cause of vision loss among the elderly, a new nationwide clinical study has concluded.

The disease destroys the central portion of the retina, the light-gathering cells at the back of the eye. Among people who already have significant yellowish deposits accumulating at the back of their eyes — the hallmark of the disease — the supplements cut their risk of vision loss by one-fifth.

The supplements — a combination of zinc and the antioxidants vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene — did not appear to slow the early stages of the disease, when the yellowish deposits develop, but that is a normal part of aging and is not necessarily of concern. Almost everyone over age 70 has at least one or two of them.

As the disease progresses, the center of the field of view begins to blur, making it difficult to read, drive and recognize faces. Victims must rely on their peripheral vision, looking out of the corners of their eyes and missing much of the color and detail.

Earlier studies had indicated that people who eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables, which contain vitamins and beta-carotene, are at lower risk of developing this disease. An earlier, smaller clinical study had suggested zinc might be helpful.

Among those whose disease had progressed to the intermediate stage, the zinc supplements reduced by 11 percent the risk of the disease progressing to the advanced stage, and the antioxidants reduced the risk by 10 percent. When the two were combined, the risk dropped by 19 percent. The study followed the participants for 6.5 years on average.

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Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly.