55% Reduction in Dry AMD Development with Daily Supplements 

United States: According to a new study, daily supplements can effectively slow the vision decline of patients with late-stage “dry” age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 

More about the finding 

Dry AMD development in the critical eye area was reduced by about 55 percent on average over three years in the last-stage patients who used a combination of antioxidants and minerals in daily supplements, as researchers reported on July 16 in the Ophthalmology Journal. 

Earlier studies have established that these supplements help reduce the progression from mid-stage AMD to the late type, according to Dr. Tiarnan Keenan, a contributing clinician with the National Eye Institute. 

According to Keenan, “Our analysis shows that taking … supplements can also slow disease progression in people with late dry AMD,” as newsmax.com reported. 

The supplements include vegetables and fruits, antioxidant vitamins C and E, beta carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, and the minerals zinc and copper. 

More about Dry AMD 

Dry AMD is one of the most prevalent forms of macular degeneration since it impacts nine out of ten clients, as per Cleveland Clinic. 

Dry AMD arises whenever small yellow deposits called drusen begin to form along the light-sensing retina called macula at the back of a person’s eye, as researchers noted in background information. 

These deposits destroy the light-sensitive cells in the retina to form ‘geographic atrophy,’ which tends to enlarge slowly over a period of time. In this case, central vision steadily begins to diminish as a result of the condition. 

How different is the current study? 

The new study concentrated on the fovea, a pit in the middle of the retina responsible for sharp central vision. 

Researchers also pointed out that many with dry AMD initially develop geographic atrophy (GA) outside the fovea and only lose central vision when the AMD advances to the fovea, as newsmax.com reported. 

For the new study, the researchers analyzed outcome data from over 1200 patients in two clinical trials, comparing the ability of supplements to stabilize or even produce regression of AMD. The federal government grant financed the trials. 

The study indicated that for people with a dry form of AMD, which had not reached the fovea, taking supplements would delay the development of the eye disease to the crucial area. 

Moreover, as Keenan said, “Our high acuity central vision is essential for tasks like reading and driving,” and “Given that there are few therapeutic options for people with late-stage dry AMD to retain or restore their vision, antioxidant supplementation is a simple step that may slow central vision loss, even for those with late disease.”