Preventing Macular Degeneration There are a number of lifestyle steps you can take that may offer some protection against AMD. Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control More on eyes in our Eye and Vision Center Macular Degeneration-Related Clinical Trials Information Email this page Print this section

• Consider taking vitamin and mineral supplements. A study funded by the National Eye Institute, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), found that people who were very likely to develop advanced AMD (those with moderate AMD or with severe AMD in one eye) could reduce their risk by about 25 percent by taking high doses of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, zinc, and copper. This same group lowered its odds of developing vision loss by about 19 percent. People who weren't yet affected or who were only in the early stages didn't seem to benefit. The AREDS study examined the effect of 500 milligrams of vitamin C, 400 international units of vitamin E, 15 milligrams of beta carotene, and 80 milligrams of zinc as zinc oxide. (Trace amounts of copper are added to the supplements to avoid zinc-induced copper-deficiency anemia.)
• Consume a diet rich in antioxidants. While there are no definitive data on how nutrition might affect a person's risk of AMD and vision loss, certain substances found in vegetables and fruit may offer some protection. Dark-green, leafy vegetables and pigmented fruits, such as oranges, kiwi, spinach, and carrots, are high in antioxidants such as carotenes and lutein and zeaxanthin, which studies have suggested are associated with eye health.
• Protect your eyes. There is no proof that wearing sunglasses with ultraviolet (UV) protection will lower the risk of contracting AMD, but there is substantial evidence of a link between light and AMD.

The necessary research has yet to be conducted on whether manipulating other risk factors for AMD actually lowers the risk of developing the condition. Meantime, it makes sense for your overall vascular health to:

• Quit smoking.
• Control cholesterol levels.
• Control blood pressure.