Are There Any Vitamins Or Supplements I Can Take To Improve My Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)?

Aug. 24, 2009— -- Question: Are there any vitamins or supplements I can take to improve my age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?

Answer: If you're diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, your doctor may recommend that you take certain vitamins and minerals, and we actually only recommend that if you reach a certain stage of macular degeneration. So when the doctor looks in they may see drusen or deposits of a certain size, and if you have those, vitamins and minerals are recommended. The other situation would be if you have advanced disease in one eye and the other eye [is] in pretty good shape, we would again recommend that you take vitamins and minerals.

There was a big study called the AREDS which looked at vitamins and minerals in age-related macular degeneration and the vitamins recommended based on that study are beta-carotene, vitamin C, E and zinc. And the best way to figure out what to take there once your doctor goes over it with you, is to look in the pharmacy for vitamins and minerals that have that AREDS on the label.