Healthy eating habits for age-related macular degeneration

Your food choices will not restore your sight. But eating healthy, along with quitting smoking and taking doctor-recommended dietary supplements, can help you see better for longer.

According Ron Adelman, MD, MPH, director of the Retina and Macula Service at Yale School of Medicine, people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) should

load in green leafy vegetables and try to get omega-3 fatty acids from at least two servings of fish per week.

“But the recommendation is not always that strict,” says Adelman. “We try to find food options that fit the person’s lifestyle. A lot of times a dietician can help people find something that really tastes good and is good for them.”

Here is more information on diet as it relates to nutrition and age-related macular degeneration.

The best foods for age-related macular degeneration

Experts agree that people with AMD should eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables every day. And the darker, the better.

“Those are your spinach, kale, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries,” says Michelle Andreoli, MD, an ophthalmologist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital. “The lighter the color of the fruit and vegetable, the less antioxidant value it has.”

You will find many carotenoids in fruits and vegetables that are red, yellow, orange, or dark green in color. Carotenoids are chemicals that give plants their color, but they are also antioxidants that may protect against vision damage caused by AMD.

In particular, green leafy vegetables (such as spinach and kale) are high in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. These nutrients are believed to play a vital role in the health of the macula. And studies suggest that people with AMD who eat a lot of these two antioxidants are less likely to develop advanced AMD.

There is no single green vegetable that is better for the eyes. “Just try to find what you like,” says Adelman. “Someone might not like broccoli or kale, but might like Brussels sprouts or a spring green mix.”

Not sure what to eat? Ask your doctor for a referral to a dietitian who will help you prepare eye-healthy meals and snacks.

And while there’s no AMD diet to follow, a Mediterranean-style eating plan can be a good guide. Studies show that people with early AMD who eat little red meat but plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and nuts are less likely to progress to advanced disease.

Dietary Supplements for AMD

According to the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS 2), some people with AMD can delay vision loss when they take a daily dose of certain vitamins and minerals. You can find this specific blend of nutrients in an over-the-counter supplement called AREDS 2.

Although you should eat a healthy diet, you can’t easily get AMD-specific nutrients from food.

“You would have to eat bushels of blueberries and spinach in one day,” Andreoli says.

AREDS 2 supplements contain:

• Vitamin C (500 milligrams)
• Vitamin E (400 IU)
• Copper (2 milligrams)
• Zinc (80 milligrams)
• Lutein (10 milligrams)
• Zeaxanthin (2 milligrams)

A daily supplement of AREDS 2 is generally recommended for people with intermediate AMD or advanced disease in only one eye. Your doctor can tell you what is best for you.

Healthy diet changes and vision supplements are not likely to reverse vision loss caused by AMD. But they can help protect your remaining sight.

“After the damage is done to both eyes, it’s too late,” says Adelman. “But if there is only damage to one eye, you can still use (AREDS 2) to protect the second eye.”

low vision cooking aids

Many people with severe vision loss continue to cook.

“I had a great-aunt who was completely blind due to macular degeneration who used to make the best Italian lemon knots you could eat,” says Andreoli. “And she did it all by touch.”

And even with vision loss, many of the healthy foods doctors recommend are easy to prepare. For example, you can eat green leafy vegetables, apples, oranges, or carrots without cooking them.

But when it comes to foods like fish, “Obviously most of the time people want to cook that,” says Adelman.

While you may never have a problem preparing healthy meals on your own, loss of central vision can create some confusion when cooking. For example, you may not be able to see the dials on your oven or the buttons on your microwave very well. Tactile stickers and other low-tech solutions can help.

“Go to the drug store and buy those little sticky numbers that you might have used when you were making a poster board with your kids in first grade,” Andreoli says. “With your microwave, you can tell you want 1 minute, 2 minutes, or 30 seconds. So put a 1, 2 or 3 and you can feel it.

How to find low vision resources for AMD

Andreoli often refers people with AMD directly to low vision rehabilitation services. These are optometrists, occupational therapists, or other health professionals who work with people who have AMD. They will help you learn strategies to maximize the vision you have left.

Before your visit, make a list of any daily challenges or specific obstacles you have to healthy eating. If you have low vision, some things you can get help with include:

• grocery shopping
• Hot food handling
• Cooking with the oven or stove
• Prepare, cut or chop food
• measure and pour
• How do you know if food is fresh?

You can find free recipes and cooking tips for people with low vision online. Some groups that offer resources geared toward people with eye conditions like AMD include:

• American Academy of Ophthalmology
• American Macular Foundation
• National Eye Institute
• Hadley’s Daily Life Workshops
• Living Well with Low Vision by Prevent Blindness

Let your eye doctor know if you or your loved one have trouble seeing websites clearly.

“Someone in low vision rehab can get you things like iPads or other adaptive devices, so if you want to read up on resources, you can,” Andreoli says.