Vitamin C, E, Beta-carotene and Zinc Can Prevent Or Slow down Age Related Eye Disease

I came across this link showing the benefits of certain nutrients including vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A (beta carotene) and Zine showing various eye related protection, especially in age related disease. 

Dan

Take a LOOK:

http://www.tele-management.ca/2013/08/vitamins-can-stop-sight-loss-in-the-old/

EXCERPT:

Vitamins can stop sight loss in the old

By Tele management, | Health | 0 Comments

Taking pills that have certain antioxidant vitamins with zinc can prevent an age-related eye disease from getting worse, shows US study.

Vitamin supplements can prevent the progression of a disease that causes blindness in the elderly.

A United States study found that taking pills containing antioxidant vitamins C, E and beta carotene (a form of vitamin A) with zinc can stop the eye disorder known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) from getting worse.

The condition has two forms: The ‘dry’ type, where small yellow deposits collect in the macular, or the back wall of the eye, and the more serious ‘wet’ form, where abnormal leaky blood vessels grow in the eye.

In advanced cases, scar tissue forms in the macular, causing irreversible blind spots that appear in the centre of the visual field, often causing blindness.

There is no treatment to reverse this sight loss. Laser therapy used with drugs can prevent further visual loss in wet AMD but it costs up to $3,000 per eye per session. Patients usually require at least two rounds of treatment.

Researchers said the disease is more common in Caucasians than Asians and is the leading cause of registered blindness in the West. The condition is responsible for about one in 15 cases of registered blindness here.

Blind people are not required legally to register themselves and researchers suspects more people probably suffer from this eye disease.

The US study involved 3,640 participants between 55 and 80 years old. All had some degree of the eye disease in one or both eyes. The participants were given daily tablets containing antioxidant vitamins, zinc, antioxidants and zinc, or a placebo.

The results showed the combination of zinc and antioxidant vitamins reduced significantly the chances of the disease progressing in people with moderate AMD.

Researchers said smokers had a 4 1/2 times higher risk of developing advanced AMD than non-smokers.

They now advised all patients suffering from this disease to take antioxidant vitamin pills and zinc supplements.

They said smokers should kick the habit, but those who could not should avoid taking beta carotene because other studies had shown that smokers who took it had a higher risk of cancer.