4 Ways to Reduce Macular Degeneration Effects

Although macular degeneration is an incurable, top vision loss disease there may be a way to slow its progression and keep you seeing longer. Some studies show that by avoiding certain habits, foods and environments you may be able to keep your vision as healthy as possible.

These 4 ways to reduce macular degeneration may help if you are afflicted however if your vision is currently healthy, it is also good advice to keep it that way. Either alone or alongside continued medical achievements, these are simple natural preventative or acute applications to possibly control how your vision advances.

Up Your Antioxidants

According to Dr. Kamal Kishore, an ophthalmologist with Illinois Retina & Eye Associates,

“AMD [age-related macular degeneration] is more common in individuals with low levels of zinc and antioxidants,”

You probably are aware of antioxidants, but may not realize how or if you are getting enough. Antioxidants are specific compounds mostly found in fresh fruits and vegetables capable of neutralizing free radicals which can damage your body. A Harvard reports describes that antioxidants do this by either donating lost electrons that free-radicals have consumed from healthy cells or an “electron grabber” that feeds free-radicals electrons so they don’t take them from healthy cells.

Specific antioxidants work in specific parts of the body. Some of these include:

• Lycopene for prostate – red colored produce
• Beta-carotene and other carotenoids for eyes – orange colored produce
• Flavonoids for heart – citrus fruits
• Proanthocyanidins for urinary tract health – berries

Overall, antioxidants work together for the benefit of the entire organism not just one area of the body. Therefore, consuming less processed foods and adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet shows significant benefits for systemic health as well as preventing or slowing disease such as macular degeneration. It is always recommended to take a macular degeneration vitamin to help slow the progression of AMD.

Fish for Eyes

Omega-3 fatty acids which are abundant in fish have shown positive effects on combating macular degeneration. According to a study by researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, senior men with the highest levels of fish consumption (more than two servings weekly) were 45% less likely to have AMD than those who ate the least amount of fish (less than one serving per week).

Best sources of Omega-3 include: salmon, tuna, anchovies, cod, shrimp and scallops. If you don’t eat fish look for omegas in walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds and soy.

Stop Puffing

Everybody knows smoking is a deadly habit but most don’t realize the potential for going blind from smoking first.

A 2013 study published in the Journal of Ophthalmology concluded that,

“…cigarette smoking is a proven risk factor for both development and progression of AMD, as well as for the clinical response in both atrophic and neovascular forms of AMD. As has been previously described, smoking [] promotes molecular and pathological changes that may establish an ideal macular microenvironment for the development of AMD…”

The study also states, “…we believe that institutional support to disseminate the relevance of cigarette smoking in terms of visual health is warranted. Very few countries show health warnings on cigarette packets related to this issue (“SMOKING CAUSES BLINDNESS”)”

Get Off the Couch

Exercise has always been touted as a major health boost but some people become overwhelmed by the prospect of starting a physical fitness routine. When it comes to moving your body to lessen macular degeneration symptoms, all it takes is getting off the couch and going for a walk on a daily basis.

Medical Daily reports of a remarkable study on mice led by Dr. Machelle Pardue, a researcher at the Atlanta VA Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation.

“Researchers trained a group of mice to run on a treadmill for one hour per day, five days a week. The mice were then exposed to a type of “toxic light” known to cause retinal degeneration. Compared to a control group that didn’t exercise at all, the mice that ran on the treadmill lost only half the number of photoreceptor cells. In addition, their retinal cells appeared to be more responsive to light and exhibited higher levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein involved in eye growth and health.”

Dr. Pardue comments, “This is the first report of simple exercise having a direct effect on retinal health and vision,”

Simple exercise can be walking briskly about thirty minutes per day or doing light activities such as bowling, golf, or climbing a few flights of stairs. Of course a weekly workout regiment should significantly improve your health, including your vision if you want to go beyond simple exercises.

Use these 4 ways to reduce macular degeneration effects regardless of whether you have this disease or not. It is sound, study based info that offers additional positive health benefits as well. There is no need to succumb to being tethered to your affliction, relying only on conventional medicine to get you through. Your body and mind are more powerful than you may think.