Nutritional Supplements for AMD

Dr. David Maberley, MD, FRCSC, Ophthalmologist

Duration: 2 minutes 10 seconds

If you have early macular degeneration and you’re worried about what you can do for your eyes, one of the things your eye care provider will consider is whether you should be taking an eye vitamin that is formulated to slow down the progression of your macular degeneration. If you're dry macular degeneration has been diagnosed very early you likely won’t need these vitamins. If it progresses to a moderate to advanced stage where you have Drusen formation, then this vitamin supplementation may be of benefit.

A typical supplementation used to treat age related macular degeneration is called the AREDS2 formula. This has been shown to decrease the risk of progression to more advanced forms of macular degeneration. The progression is typically slowed by about 30% with this vitamin cocktail. AREDS2 are high in vitamin C and E, copper, zinc, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. It’s important to note that the AREDS2 contain much higher amounts of these nutrients than a normal multivitamin, so if you take a multivitamin already it’s ok to continue taking that while also taking an AREDS2 vitamin.

Some patients ask if diet alone can offer the same amount of antioxidants, copper and zinc than the AREDS2 vitamin. The answer is ‘no’. The AREDS2 offers levels of vitamins and minerals very difficult to achieve only through diet, however, studies have suggested that people who have diets rich in leafy greens which are good sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, have a lower risk of developing age related macular degeneration.

If you want more information on how to prevent the progression of age related macular degeneration by taking an AREDS2 vitamin, please consult with your local eye specialist or ophthalmologist.

Presenter: Dr. David Maberley, Ophthalmologist, Ottawa, ON

Local Practitioners: Ophthalmologist