Supplements Reduce Risk of Vision Loss
30
April 2003
by Wyn Snow, Managing Editor
For
patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), supplementing
with high levels of antioxidants and zinc significantly reduce the
risk of vision loss, according to Dr. Emily Chew in a recent presentation
at a conference sponsored by the Office of Dietary Supplements at
the National Institutes of Health.
As
reported in Archives of Ophthalmology, a high-dose combination
of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and zinc reduced vision loss
by up to 25 percent in patients with intermediate or advanced AMD
in one eye. No benefit was shown for patients without AMD or with
early AMD.
The
Age-Related Eye Disease Study looked at 4757 patients between the
ages of 55 and 80. Patients were randomly assigned to one of four
groups, receiving supplements of
- zinc
only
- antioxidants
only
- antioxidants
and zinc
- placebo
Daily
intake levels of these supplements were
- 500
mg vitamin C
- 400
IU vitamin E
- 15
mg beta carotene
- 80
mg zinc (as zinc oxide)
- 2
mg copper (as cupric oxide)
The
study also checked for any impact on cataracts. Dr. Chew said, "Essentially
we found no effect of this supplementation on cataracts or visual
acuity."
An
ophthalmologist can easily see if a person is at risk for AMD by
dilating the pupils during an eye exam and looking for the presence
of drusenwhich are yellow deposits under the retina. Drusen
itself does not cause vision loss, but increases in the quantity
or size of drusen raises the risk of developing advanced AMD.
Source
Kerri
Wachter. "Macular degeneration: Supplements reduce risk of vision
loss." Family Practice News, International Medical News Group,
15 February 2003 (www2.eFamilyPracticeNews.com).
Originally reported in Arch. Ophthalmol. 119[10]:1417-36,
2001.
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