Great question! So, there was a large study done several years ago called the “Age-Related Eye Disease Study” or “AREDS” that investigated the potential benefit of a certain cocktail of vitamins on a very specific eye disease: macular degeneration. The study found that there are specific vitamins and micronutrients that can reduce the progression of INTERMEDIATE DRY macular degeneration to more advanced stages by about 25%.
Nothing is known about the possibility of these vitamins possibly preventing macular degeneration down the road. And the vitamin dosages are not small. Because of this, it is generally not recommended to just start taking these vitamins if there is no sign of macular degeneration present. The best thing that can be done to possibly prevent macular degeneration and other eye diseases is making specific “eye health friendly” lifestyle changes, if needed. These changes include having a well-rounded diet, remembering to include (if possible) fruits, veggies (especially leafy greens) and eggs (which are great for macular health). Other changes that are recommended include smoking cessation as well as protecting the eyes from the sun with a GOOD pair of sunglasses.
Case in point: Ask your eye doctor before simply starting any vitamin or supplement, to be sure it is something that truly makes sense for you and that also won’t interfere with any other medications you may be taking.
