In an effort to keep healthy even during the pandemic, people try to exercise at home and eat healthy. Others go further and take vitamins and supplements. So many kinds are offered on sale. We are bombarded by a multitude of ads for them daily while scrolling through Facebook or watching videos on YouTube. So many choices, which should we get? Or should we get them at all?

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a pretty popular condition with so many supplements available in the market. Actresses on radio and TV tell us to start our parents on them so that their eyes don’t suffer from AMD. Most of these supplements are said to have Lutein, a vitamin that is supposed to be really good for our eyes. Sounds compelling, right?

These ads definitely make us want to buy the meds. Who wouldn’t want to stop a known disease of aging from starting? Unfortunately, these supplements will NOT prevent AMD from developing. They won’t even work for people who have it in the early stages.

How do we know if and when we need to start taking them? Everybody should go for a complete eye evaluation at least yearly, even without any apparent symptoms. That way, eye conditions can be diagnosed early and your doctor can monitor you better. During an eye exam, the retina is usually evaluated. In patients aged 50 and older, this is a must-do because they are more at risk of having AMD. The macula is the part of the retina that provides central vision. If we have AMD, we won’t be able to see the facial features of the person we’re talking to, but we’ll be able to see what he is wearing and other things presented to our peripheral vision.

There are two types of AMD. The more common Dry type blurs central vision more slowly. When it reaches the intermediate stage (staging depends on the amount of clumping or drusen in the macula), your doctor may start you on AREDS/AREDS2 formula of vitamins and minerals that can slow the progression. On the other hand, the Wet type is more serious in that patients can lose vision faster because of fluid build up underneath the macula. Treatment for this includes: injection of medicine (anti-VEGF) into the eye, and lasers.

AMD is a debilitating condition and should not be treated lightly. Eye vitamin supplements will work if patients already have the dry AMD type. The best thing for us to do is to stay healthy by eating healthy and exercising. Stop smoking because that increases your risk for AMD. Don’t forget to do regular yearly check ups with your eye doctor.