Macular Degeneration

A large study has found no association between prior cataracts surgery and the development of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD).¹ This study supports the long-term safety and low possibility of side-effects from replacing a cataract-damaged lens with an artificial lens.

Both cataracts and ARMD are eye diseases associated with ageing. By the age of 75, 50% of Americans have cataracts.² It affects 24+ million Americans over age 39. Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration affects 1-in-10 eighty-year-olds; 9+ million Americans age 50 and up have the disease in early or late stages.
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Aflibercept is currently a treatment for wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), but it may also prove useful for patients with dry AMD.

The researchers accidentally discovered that an anti-placental growth factor antibody could provide retinal protection for the dry form of Macular Degeneration. They tried using a known protein called placental growth factor (PlGF) on a simulation of wet AMD in animal tissues. The PIGF made the retinal cells worse. So, they tried an anti-PlGF antibody treatment. This treatment provided protection against retinal damage.

Aflibercept is an anti-PlGF antibody treatment. It is used
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Scientists are putting significant focus on Age-Related Macular Degeneration in their research. This eye disease strikes mostly older adults, over aged 50. The “Baby Boomer” generation is well above age 50, as are their living parents. Understanding the causes and potential treatments for Macular Denegation (ARMD) are important, because vision-impaired elderly people need extra help with their daily activities. Also, quality of life is lowered when vision is poor.

The macula is a tiny yellowish spot in the back of the eye, on the retina. It allows for central vision. Central vision is possible because of the macula. If it breaks down, reading, writing, watching TV, cooking, driving and even facial recognition are impaired. Macular Degeneration is degenerative, meaning that it gets worse over time.

ARMD comes in two forms. The more common
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Lutein absorption can be improved by adding solid-lipid particles to the formula.  What does that mean?   Lipids are fats and solid-lipids are fats which are solid at room temperature.  Researchers have noted that lutein from egg yolks is more readily absorbed than the ester form of lutein. Researchers wanted to know whether combining ester lutein with egg-like phospholipids and fatty acids  would improve its absorption rate.

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Age-Related Macular Denegation is a significant cause of vision loss that can often be managed and even improved through targeted nutritional support. It affects mostly people over age 50. While the precise cause of ARMD is not clear, oxidative damage is suspected as being a major factor. It strikes the elderly possibly due to poor diet and nutritional intake over a lifetime, less efficient absorption of nutrients and poor circulation as the body ages. The care needed by vision-impaired elderly could become overwhelming. Let’s take a look at some of the newest research in preventing macular degeneration, as well as treatment and support options.
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Antioxidants have been studied as a way of preventing eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Oxidative damage (free radical damage) may be a contributing cause of these diseases. People concerned about developing these problems may consider taking both dietary and supplemental antioxidants, such as fruits, vegetables, and supplements like lutein, zeaxanthin, glutathione, and CoQ10.

A common disease in people over age 50, cataracts is a clouding of the lens of the eye. It may be caused by oxidative damage to proteins in the lens from UV light exposure.
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Chinese scientists have identified nutrients that come from marine algae that may prove to provide even better support for vision health problems due to computer eye syndrome than the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. Fucoxanthin¹ comes from a brown seaweed where it is the primary part of the light-absorbing mechanism of the plant.  It is what gives seaweed a brown or olive-green color.

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A small study has shown microcurrent stimulation (electrotherapy) to benefit macular degeneration patients. While the study did not have controls, the research on 25 eyes with dry age-related macular degeneration, and 6 eyes with wet age-related macular degeneration found:

• Significant increases in visual acuity for most of the dry AMD patients (Wilcoxon one-sample test)
• Twice as many dry AMD patients had improved visual acuity (52%) than deterioration (26%). The improvements were usually large, while deteriorations were very small.
• The sample size of wet AMD eyes was too small to draw many conclusions; however, all but one had an increase in visual acuity, and none of them deteriorated.

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Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables helps ward off a common eye disease, age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). A study in Acta Ophthalmologica looked at the relationship between intake of antioxidants (including the antioxidant lutein) and the incidence of macular degeneration. It found that people with low intake of antioxidants were twice as likely to have this eye disease versus controls.

The macula is made from a yellow antioxidant called lutein. Dietary sources of lutein are leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, collards, mustard greens), brussels sprouts, and broccoli. It is also found in eggs and corn. Lutein supplements can be made from marigolds.
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Blue light is emitted from all handheld electronic devices as well as desktop and laptop computers and televisions. It is the shortest wave length light in the visible spectrum and causes significant damage to many parts of the eye seriously impacting present and future vision capacity. Damage from blue light from smartphones is particularly important because smartphones are often used in dim light and are used close to the eyes. Unlike ordinary computer vision fatigue, damage from blue light is serious, cumulative and irreversible.
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