Research has shown that taking a mixture of Vitamin B taken on a consistent basis can halt a common type of vision loss that occurs in older people.

Macular degeneration is thought to effect over 2 million people in the United States, especially over the age of 50.

(Image from Haap Media Ltd – All Rights Reserved)

Although some macular dystrophies affecting younger individuals are sometimes referred to as macular degeneration, the term generally refers to age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD).

Folic Acid Plus Vitamins B-6 And B-12

Researchers at Brigham And Women’s Hospital in Boston discovered that people who took folic acid and vitamins B-6 and B-12 were able to reduce their risk of macular degeneration by approximately a third.

Macular degeneration manifests as blurred vision which makes it difficult to read, drive and even recognize faces.

More About Macular Degeneration

Age related macular degeneration is a medical condition which usually affects older adults which results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula) because of damage to the retina.

It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms and it’s a major cause of visual impairment in older adults. Macular degeneration can make it difficult or impossible to read or recognize faces, although enough peripheral vision remains to allow other activities of daily life.

The inner layer of the eye is the retina, which contains nerves that communicate sight; behind the retina is the choroid  which contains the blood supply to the macula (the central part of the retina).

Dry And Wet Forms Of Macular Degeneration

In the dry (nonexudative) form, cellular debris called drusen accumulate between the retina and the choroid, and the retina can become detached.

In the wet (exudative) form, which is more severe, blood vessels grow up from the choroid behind the retina, and the retina can also become detached. It can be treated with laser coagulation, and with medication that stops and sometimes reverses the growth of blood vessels.

Beginning Signs

Age-related macular degeneration begins with characteristic yellow deposits in the macula (central area of the retina, which provides detailed central vision, called the fovea) called drusen between the retinal pigment epithelium and the underlying choroid.

Most people with these early changes (referred to as age-related maculopathy) have good vision. People with drusen can go on to develop advanced AMD.

The risk is considerably higher when the drusen are large and numerous and associated with disturbance in the pigmented cell layer under the macula.

Recent research suggests that large and soft drusen are related to elevated cholesterol deposits and may respond to cholesterol-lowering agents.

As the population in the United States ages there is hope that ongoing research to this eye challenge will increase and cures will be discovered.

More Information

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