by Dr. Rohit Narayan is a therapeutic optometrist based in the Midlands in England. October 27th, 2018
Layer 3 – Patients with a family history
There are various statistics cited for the impact of family history on the development and progression of AMD. Dr. Narayan says that those patients with a family history “…should be made aware of the increased risk to their siblings and children, who need to have scheduled eye examinations for detecting the intermediate stage of AMD and be encouraged to assess their own visual acuity using monocular vision testing (usually the Amsler grid) and seek medical advice and urgent intervention if they develop visual symptoms of distortion or reduced vision.” He adds, “…AMD patients should also have an awareness to pass information to their first-degree relatives on the importance of risk reduction strategies including avoiding smoking, a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition.”
Is nutrition important to those whose main risk factor is a family history? Dr. Narayan writes, “The Rotterdam study looked at the impact of diet in over 2000 individuals who were at genetic risk and were AMD free at the start of the study.”
“The study found that the NRV (formerly RDA) intake of antioxidants, zinc, and Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of early AMD among those at high genetic risk. Suggestions for what to eat included was based on the sources of the three groups studied in the trial is summarised in table 4.”
He summarized his approach for this group:
- More than 80% of patients with late-stage AMD have a genetic predisposition.
- First degree relatives, particularly siblings should have routine eye examinations.
- Observational studies support the use of nutrition/ supplementation whose dosages are inline with the NRV.