YOU Docs Daily
Try These Vitamins for Eyes That Won't Fail
Q. Are there vitamins that help macular degeneration? I've been diagnosed with it.
-- Evelyn, Haymarket, VA
A. If you have early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), we recommend frequently grazing at the salad bar to protect your sight. AMD is a leading cause of blindness but good nutrition can help hold it off. Make a beeline for the carrots, spinach and other dark leafy greens. You want their lutein, zeaxanthin and betacarotene; all fight AMD. Omega-3 fatty acids are also vision savers. Find them in wild or canned salmon, trout, canned tuna, some nuts (particularly walnuts), and supplements. We recommend 900 mg a day of algae-based omega-3s in their DHA form (the form your body likes best).
There’s good evidence that taking specific amounts of vitamins C, E, and A (or beta carotene), as well as copper and zinc, can help prevent intermediate AMD in one or both eyes -- or advanced AMD in one eye -- from worsening. This powerful combo is called the AREDS formula (for Age-Related Eye Disease Study). Just “don’t try this at home.” Talk to your ophthalmologist about it. By the way, there’s no evidence that AREDS helps early AMD. Only lutein (10 mg twice a day) and those omega-3s (900 mg a day) do that.
