REGULAR CHECKS and a healthy lifestyle can help protect the eye, even where there’s a family history of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
“There’s a genetic component and an environmental component in AMD, there’s an interaction between the two,” says consultant ophthalmic surgeon Dr Stephen Beatty.
“So although you could be genetically predisposed to the condition, you could delay its onset by behaving yourself. Or you could accelerate its onset by not behaving.”
A recent study involving Dr Beatty’s research group at Waterford Institute of Technology showed taking a dietary supplement including antioxidant carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin, which occur naturally in a variety of vegetables), zinc and vitamins C and E could help slow the progression of AMD. Obesity may also increase the risk of symptoms.
“The best way of preventing or delaying AMD is first to get an eye check after the age of 50 every two years,” says Dr Beatty. “Number two, stop smoking. Three, have a healthy lifestyle. Four, consider vitamin supplements if your diet is poor. Five: at the earliest onset of disease make sure you are seen regularly by an ophthalmologist.”