Frequently Asked Questions

Age-related Macular Degeneration

Other Common Questions

• Can the dry form turn into the wet form?
• Who is at risk for ARMD?
• Can my lifestyle make a difference?
• Vitamin & Mineral Supplements and Your Eyes
• What is AREDS?
• What Were the Results?
• Should I Take Nutritional Supplements?

Can the dry form turn into the wet form?

Yes. All people who have the wet form had the dry form first. The dry form can advance and still cause vision loss without turning into the wet form. The dry form also can suddenly turn into the wet form, at any time, even during early stage ARMD. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict if or when the dry form will turn into the wet form.

Who is at risk for ARMD?

The greatest risk factor is age. Although ARMD may occur during middle age, studies show that people over age 60 are clearly at greater risk than other age groups. Other known risk factors include: smoking, obesity, race (Caucasians are more likely to lose vision from ARMD than African Americans), previous family history and gender (women appear to be at a greater risk than men).

Can my lifestyle make a difference?

Yes, your lifestyle can play a role in reducing your risk of developing ARMD. As you may expect a healthy lifestyle includes: eating a healthy diet high in green leafy vegetables and fish, not smoking, maintaining a normal blood pressure, watching your weight and exercising regularly.

Vitamin & Mineral Supplements and Your Eyes

Background: Scientists have long debated whether taking vitamin and/or mineral supplements could help prevent, treat or cure certain eye conditions. Some early scientific studies seemed to show that supplements had the potential to prevent or slow the progression of cataract and ARMD, although a more complete study was needed to answer some important questions:

• Which supplements are helpful for which condition(s)
• Which patients will benefit from supplementation
• What doses of supplements would benefit patients
• What other effects might these supplements might have on the body

A recent study, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), sought to address these questions, and seems to have given us some (but not all) of the answers to these questions.

What is AREDS?

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) was a major study sponsored by the National Eye Institute (NEI), conducted at 11 major medical center research facilities around the country. In the study, scientists looked at the effects of zinc and antioxidants, and a combination of both, on patients with cataracts, and on those with varying stages and types of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). They also studied patients without evidence of cataract or ARMD to determine if zinc and/or antioxidants can prevent the development of these conditions.

What Were the Results?

The study showed a number of important things:

• High levels of antioxidants and zinc can reduce the risk of vision loss from advanced ARMD by about 19% in high-risk patients (patients with intermediate ARMD or advanced ARMD in one eye but not the other)
• Supplements do not provide significant benefit to patients with minimal ARMD
• These nutritional supplements do not prevent the initial development of ARMD, nor do they improve vision already lost to ARMD
• Nutritional supplements do not seem to prevent cataracts, or to keep them from getting worse over time

While most patients in the study experienced no serious side effects from the doses of zinc and antioxidants used, a few taking zinc alone had urinary tract problems that required hospitalization. Some patients taking large doses of antioxidants experienced some yellowing of the skin. The long-term effects of taking large doses of these supplements are still unknown.

Should I Take Nutritional Supplements?

If you have intermediate (or advanced ARMD in one eye only) talk to Dr. Rudser about taking nutritional supplements. She can help you determine if they may be beneficial?and safe?for you, and what types and doses of supplements to take. The doses used in the AREDS study were:

• Vitamin C 500 mg
• Vitamin E 400 IU
• Beta-carotene 15 mg
• Zinc 80 mg, as zinc oxide
• Copper 2 mg, as cupric oxide (copper should be taken with zinc, because high-dose zinc is associated with copper deficiency.)

It is very important to talk with Dr. Rudser before taking large-dose supplements, and to follow her dosage recommendations carefully since some supplements may interfere with each other or other medications you are currently taking.

Also important: Smokers and ex-smokers probably should not take beta-carotene, as studies have shown a link between beta-carotene use and lung cancer among smokers.

Visual perception photos above of ocular disease come from the NIH website.