SHARES
“Things look darker to me and I am losing my sight. My doctor me that I had ARMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration), the dry kind. The fear that I may become blind still haunts me to this day. I used to read and watch TV. But, now, these were becoming harder and harder.” Shirley, 79, is worried that she will lose her independence as her eye condition gets worse.”
Understanding Age-related Macular Degeneration
As we age, the part of our eye which is responsible for accurate vision (macula) can wear out (degeneration). This condition is called Age-related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) and affects about 4-13% of people above 40 years old.
Photo by John Willin from Flickr
Type of ARMD
ARMD can be largely divided into the dry and the wet type. Most people (about 90%) have the dry type which progresses much slower than the wet type. Repeated injury (oxidative stress) to your eye can cause dry fatty deposit (drusen) in your macula. It is believed that excessive blue light exposure, smoking, drinking too much alcohol and obesity may increase risks to dry ARMD.
On the other hand, wet ARMD is more dangerous and can lead to more rapid vision loss. This is caused by leaky vessels in your macula and prompt treatment is a must to stop the leak. Your risk is higher if you have condition that can damage your blood vessels such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and atherosclerosis.
Living with ARMD
Daily activities that require accurate vision such as reading, driving, watching TV, using your phone, etc get more difficult. Your vision can be dimmer especially in the center as you see less light. To date, there are still no cure for ARMD yet. Current treatment focuses on preventing and delaying the disease.
Can Good Nutrition Help Prevent and Delay ARMD?
The good news is yes! Two large studies lately (AREDS and AREDS2) have confirmed the benefit of nutrition in delaying disease progression for people with early to moderate ARMD. Smaller studies have also shown the importance of good dietary nutrition in preventing ARMD.
What nutrients are good for ARMD?
Singularly a combination of antioxidant (carotenoids), vitamins (vitamin C and E), zinc and copper are good for ARMD.
Nutrition greens yellow carotenoids prevent or delay Age-related Macular Degeneration. Photo by Elizabeth Grimes from Flickr.
1. Carotenoids (lutein, zeaxantine, beta-carotein)
Our macula contains a lot of yellow pigment that helps filter high energy blue light that can damage our eye. Therefore, the part of our eye which responsible for accurate vision is also called “macula lutea”, where lutea means “yellow”. Likewise, lutein is yellow pigment found in plants with similar purpose of filtering out harmful sunlight. Zeaxantine and beta-carotene are similar pigments that are closer to orange colour than yellow.
Food high in carotenoids can reduce injury (oxidative stress) in the eyes. These includes dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, chard, collards, yellow fruits and vegetables, green peas and soybean. If these food are low in your diet, consider taking supplements with lutein and zeaxantine.
2. Vitamins
Vitamins with antioxidant properties are useful for delaying and preventing ARMD. Examples are vitamin C and vitamin E. Vitamin A is also good for improving night vision too. Our body uses vitamin A to make light-capturing pigment in our eyes. Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and nuts can get you a good amount of all these healthy vitamins.
Check if you have ARMD today!
Besides a good nutrition diet, detecting ARMD in its early stages helps to prevent disease from progressing, thus, preventing vision loss!
Ophthalmologists (eye doctor) have came out with a tool to check for ARMD even at home. This is called Amsler Grid.
Photo by Rio Wight from Flickr
How to use a Amsler Grid?
1. Wear your glasses for normal reading (if any).
2. Close one eye
3. Read this card about half arm-length from your eyes (~30cm)
4. Focus on the dot. If there are any distorted lines, smaller or bigger boxes and dark areas, talk to your eye doctor. If you are unsure of the result, get help from your doctor.
5. Repeat the test on another eye.
Important Note: Your eye doctor will routinely do this test in the clinic. Even so, many early disease (when you have no symptoms at all) are diagnosed with an eye examination by your doctor. Therefore, is it important to have an eye check-up from your doctor if you are at risk for ARMD. Stick to your doctor advices and follow-up.
Conclusion
Age-related Macular Degeneration can lead to permanent vision loss at late stages. Having said so, it can be prevented and diagnosed early for prompt treatment. Are you worried about your eye health? Get help today from your eye doctor!
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References
1. Nutrition and age-related macular degeneration [Internet]. American Optometric Association. Lindbergh. 2019. [Available from: https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/nutrition/nutrition-and-age-related-macular-degeneration; last accessed on 2019 Aug 14]
2. Kiran P. Age-related Macular Degeneration [Medscape]. WebMD LLC.. [Available from: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/848348_6; last updated on 2015; last accessed on 2019 Aug 14]
by Chang Xian
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