Vitamins, Antioxidants May Cut Risk of Blindness

When it comes to preventing macular degeneration, the leading cause of legal blindness in Americans older than 55, don’t overlook vitamins. That’s the word from scientists at the National Eye Institute who say antioxidants and zinc may help people at high risk for developing advanced age-related macular degeneration keep their vision.

In a new study sponsored by the National Eye Institute, researchers found that individuals in the intermediate stages of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration lowered their risk of developing advanced disease by about 25% when treated with a high-dose combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and zinc.

“This is an exciting discovery because, for people at high risk for developing advanced AMD, these nutrients are the first effective treatment to slow the progression of the disease,” said Paul A. Dieving, director of the National Eye Institute.