Is the use of vitamins related to macular degeneration?
Some ophthalmologists have suggested that vitamin/mineral therapy may prevent macular degeneration from getting worse. They do not believe that vitamin/mineral treatment will improve vision. Since most people have a slowly progressive form of macular degeneration, it would be very helpful to have a treatment which could slow down or stop the rate of vision loss. Zinc is a commonly recommended mineral and will be discussed in a separate question. The most frequently recommended vitamins include the anti-oxidants, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and the mineral selenium. Several years ago there was a very interesting study that found a lower incidence of macular degeneration in people who included leafy green vegetables (i.e. spinach) in their regular diet. It is very important to understand that no one has proven that vitamin/mineral therapy helps macular degeneration. All of the studies that have been done are preliminary.
