If you have age related macular degeneration and you’re worried about what you can do for your eyes, one of the things your eye care provider will consider is prescribing you an eye vitamin that is formulated to slow down the progression of your macular degeneration.

If you're dry macular degeneration has been diagnosed very early you likely won’t need these vitamins.

A typical supplementation used to treat age related macular degeneration is called the AREDS2 formula.

The progression is typically slowed by about 30% with this vitamin cocktail.

AREDS2 are high in vitamin C and E, copper, zinc, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin.

It’s important to note that the AREDS2 contain much higher amounts of these nutrients than a normal multivitamin, so if you take a multivitamin already it’s ok to continue taking that while also taking an AREDS2 vitamin.

Some patients ask if diet alone can offer the same amount of antioxidants, copper and zinc than the AREDS2 vitamin. The answer is ‘no’. The AREDS2 offers levels of vitamins and minerals very difficult to achieve only through diet

An optometrist exist as a primary eye health professional to provide vision testing and glasses to patients who need that service and also increasingly to perform the function of screening for more serious eye conditions.

Ophthalmologists exist not only to provide further screening and diagnosis for ocular disease, but to provide surgical intervention and medical treatments to patients who need it.

They Ophthalmologists help patients manage their conditions over the long term, for example, patients that need to have regular anti-vegf injections to treat existing conditions.

There are also ophthalmologist who sub specialize in certain conditions such as glaucoma or cataracts. This allows patients to get very specialized treatment based on their conditions.

An optometrists is specifically trained to deal with eye health and are typically more effective in managing eye health conditions than even a GP. They are the first line of screening for eye diseases and predominantly manage vision correction. The ophthalmologist is trained to diagnose, treat and manage any medical or surgical condition of the eye.

Anyone can phone an optometrist and make an appointment at any time. In order to see an ophthalmologist, you would need to have a referral from either an optometrist or a family doctor.

Age-related macular degeneration is an incredibly common cause of vision loss in people over 60.

There are two kinds of age-related macular degeneration: dry and wet.

In both types, AMD affects the macula in the center of the retina. The macula is a small area that enables us to see fine details and do things like drive and read.

Wet age-related macular degeneration progresses quickly, as these blood vessels bleed and leak fluid.

If you’re over the age of 65, you should have a comprehensive visual exam every year.

If you’re diagnosed with wet AMD, your ophthalmologist will recommend anti-VEGF drugs. The medication is placed into the vitreous cavity at the back of your eye during a procedure called intravitreal injection.

Usually, patients will get monthly injections for the first few months, then every 2-3 months. Your ophthalmologist may stop the injections if your wet AMD is well controlled, but it can come back, so regular vision exams are essential.

While anti-VEGF injections can treat wet AMD, there’s no cure.

Fatty fish include salmon, sardines, trout, mackerel and herring.

Fatty fish are the only foods in our food system that naturally contain large amounts of Vitamin D3.

Fatty fish contain the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.

Long-chain omega-3s are concentrated in the human retina and are generally found in significant supply throughout the eye.

People who eat more fish tend to have a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.