Lifestyle and age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe visual loss in individuals over 50 years of age. The etiology of AMD is still not yet fully elucidated, although it is generally considered to be a complex genetic disorder in which environmental exposures interact with a predetermined genetic risk to cause disease. Over the last decade, several behaviors such as smoking, high fat intake, obesity and exposure to high levels of sunlight, as well as high levels of alcohol intake and sedentary lifestyles, have been speculated to be associated with the development and progression of AMD. Conversely, high intakes of oily fish and antioxidant nutrients have been associated with a protective effect against AMD. Modification of ‘at risk’ lifestyles generally, and especially in those with a family history of AMD and those with early signs of the disease, may reduce the development/progression of this blinding disease.