Piedmont Retina Times, Summer 2009.
Nutrition and Macular Degeneration Update
There was mixed news about age related macular degeneration this quarter. On the one hand, it is clear that the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration, the number one cause of legal blindness in Caucasians over the age of 60 in the western world, is increasing. "Age- related macular degeneration is approaching epidemic proportions," according to Dr. Sanders.
Cases of early age related macular degeneration were predicted to increase from 9.1 million in 2010 to 17.8 million in 2050 in a recent study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. Dr. Sanders elaborated, "Furthermore, severe visual impairment form either 'wet' macular degeneration, or from geographic atrophy, a form of 'dry' macular degeneration is also predicted to increase from 1.7 million cases in 2010 to 3.8 million cases in 2050."
As the Piedmont area population ages, Dr. Sanders anticipates an increasing need for assistance with age-related macular degeneration. The good news, according to Dr. Sanders, is that recent evidence has
suggested there are ways to lower the predicted numbers. "Fortunately, we are learning about lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce the risk of this devastating disease." He continued, "Specifically, in two recently published independent articles, we have seen that our diet significantly impacts our risk for developing macular degeneration, and that is very empowering information."
The articles, published in Archives of Ophthalmology, demonstrated that people who had a single weekly serving of fish reduced their risk by 31%. Those that had a few servings of nuts reduced their risk by 35%. Diets that included regular servings of olive oil were also protective.
"These foods are packed with omega-3 fatty acids," says Dr. Sanders. "We are seeing more and more evidence to suggest that omega-3 fatty acids are protective against not only macular degeneration but cardiovascular disease as well."
In addition, avoiding some types of food may be helpful. "You want to avoid trans-fats, often found in commercial baked goods and fried foods," he says. "These were associated with almost doubling the risk for developing the disease."
Research Buzz
A new and exciting drug is performing well in a stage III clinical trial fighting macular degeneration. Recent data presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting showed encouraging results when AMD is treated with vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor (VEGF)-Trap-Eye. The drug is a fusion protein, similar to an anti-body in the immune system, that binds all VEGF-A isoforms, a critical signal protein in the cascade of macular degeneration. All groups experienced an initial increase in vision in the first 3 months, but for most, this dropped off noticeably once "as needed" dosing was started. However, vision in the group that received VEGF-Trap-Eye every 4 weeks continued to improve for approximately 15 months. From month 15 to month 24, these patients maintained an improvement in vision.