6 nutritional supplements known for delaying progression of Advanced Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the dominant cause of visual impairment in individuals over 60 in the United States, with approximately 30% of those over 75 suffering from this condition. Scientists have been diligently working to find ways to delay AMD's progression through three stages.

Researchers have recently made promising progress, as a combination of supplements has demonstrated the ability to slow progression from the intermediate stage of AMD to its late, vision-threatening stage, in trials involving human participants. However, individuals already in the late stage of AMD might have little hope for maintaining their vision.

Until recently, that was the case; now, however, there's a breakthrough.

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Dry versus Wet AMD

It's essential to understand the two types of AMD, dry and wet. The classification of late-stage AMD determines this classification.

In early and intermediate AMD, the retina at the back of the eye develops small yellow deposits of fatty proteins called drusen. As the disease progresses to its late stage, individuals may develop leaky blood vessels, indicative of wet AMD, or instead lose regions of light-sensitive cells in the retina, indicative of dry AMD.

Individuals who develop wet AMD in the late stage will not reap the benefits researchers observed for those with dry AMD. In dry AMD, the gradual loss of cells expands over time, moving towards the center of the eye, causing central vision loss in individuals with dry AMD.

Geographic Atrophy and Foveal Sparing

A unique characteristic of dry AMD is 'foveal sparing.' Although all regions of the retina are light-sensitive, the region responsible for our highest acuity central vision is called the fovea. Many people with dry AMD first develop geographic atrophy outside the foveal region, only losing central vision once the geographic atrophy regions expand into the foveal area.

If progression towards the fovea can be halted, central vision could be preserved.

Slowing Disease Progression in Late-Stage Dry AMD

In the AREDS and AREDS2 trials, researchers proved that taking a specific combination of antioxidants (vitamin C, E, lutein, and zeaxanthin), along with zinc and copper, could slow progression from the intermediate stage to the late stage of AMD. However, these trials did not account for foveal sparing, assuming there was no benefit to taking these supplements in the late stages of the condition.

Fortunately, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Eye Institute (NEI) aimed to correct this oversight. They found that the supplements had little benefit in individuals who developed geographic atrophy in their central vision. However, the same was not true for the majority of individuals who developed geographic atrophy far from the fovea.

In fact, they discovered that, in foveal-sparing AMD, the supplements slowed the rate of expansion towards the fovea by approximately 55% over an average of three years.

This means that even those in the late stages of dry AMD might experience significant benefits from these natural supplements.

Hold onto Your Vision

"Our high acuity central vision is crucial for tasks like reading and driving. Given the limited therapeutic options for people with late-stage dry AMD to retain or restore their vision, antioxidant supplementation may slow central vision loss, even for those with late-stage disease," said Tiarnan Keenan, M.D., Ph.D., of NIH's National Eye Institute and lead author of the study.

Keenan's team's findings suggest that, even in the later stages of dry AMD, antioxidant supplements may offer hope for preserving central vision.

In addition, consider melatonin. According to a study involving 121,523 participants aged 50 or older, individuals who took melatonin after developing AMD experienced slower degradation than those who did not take it. Also, the same study found melatonin to be a powerful preventative of AMD, something that the AREDS supplements have yet to achieve.

For those with healthy eyes, melatonin might offer an ounce of prevention to help maintain their vision for years to come.

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Sources:- Supplements slow disease progression during late stage of "dry" age-related macular degeneration - EurekAlert!- Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Facts & Figures - Bright Focus Foundation

The combination of supplements, including antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, lutein, and zeaxanthin, along with zinc and copper, has shown the ability to slow the progression from the intermediate stage to the late, vision-threatening stage of dry AMD, according to the AREDS and AREDS2 trials.
For individuals with late-stage dry AMD and foveal sparing, a unique characteristic of dry AMD, the same supplements have been found to slow the rate of expansion towards the fovea by approximately 55% over an average of three years, as discovered by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Eye Institute (NEI).
According to a study involving 121,523 participants aged 50 or older, melatonin, a natural supplement, has been found to slow the degradation of AMD and serves as a powerful preventative measure for the condition, even more potent than the AREDS supplements.
For those with healthy eyes, melatonin might offer an ounce of prevention to help maintain their eye health and vision for years to come.