Macular Degeneration (AMD) Protocol For Healing

Hi all,

I am getting so many requests for what I did to reverse my macular degeneration (AMD) that I have decided to put it on a Word document rather than keep doing individual emails. Feel free to pass this on.
In December 2009 I had my annual ophthalmology appointment, and my ophthalmologist said the spot on my right macula was gone (over the past 12 or so years he used to say that he has never seen an AMD spot get smaller in any patient other than me, but it was still there), and this time he said it was not visible, which really made me quite happy.

-Incidentally, the wavy lines on the Amsler grid have virtually disappeared to the point I am not sure it is really a very slight wave in one line or my imagination because the waviness was there for all those years.

As for my history, I was diagnosed with AMD by Dr. Caruso in October, 1994, four months after my 50th birthday, and I had the “honor” of being the first of the fourth generation with it (great-grandmother, grandmother, 3 uncles and an aunt all had it before me).

Fortunately the groundbreaking study on the two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, reducing the incidence of AMD came out in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) the month following my diagnosis. For a few years I ate a ton of veggies that contains those carotenoids, e.g., spinach, kale and collard greens, but even as a vegetarian that grew old. So when the lutein supplements came out I started taking them, but it was probably about 10 years later before I found zeaxanthin supplements.

-It is my belief that the lutein helped reduce the AMD, but it took the lutein and zeaxanthin together to make it go away. And this is backed up scientifically in that lutein is used throughout the retina whereas zeaxanthin is more concentrated in the macula.

And in 1995, a 5-year study was published showing that OcuGuard, which at the time didn’t have lutein and zeaxanthin, virtually stopped AMD in 70+ year old veterans while those on placebo continued to get worse. So that is when I added OcuGuard to my regimen (and now OcuGuard Plus, which contains lutein), and I do not believe any of the other vitamin supplements, most of which are based on the AREDS study, and I have a LOT of problems with that study for AMD, are as effective as OcuGuard.

-The OcuGuard Plus says it has zeaxanthin, but it is in micrograms, i.e., virtually none, so you need to take additional zeaxanthin.

-As a side note, I make sure the zeaxanthin in my supplement is OptiSharp zeaxanthin. OptiSharp has patented technology that provides superior stability and makes sure that the active is protected during the manufacturing process. At the same time it ensures a very good bioavailability (cheaper versions usually don’t do this), and achieving both of those conditions is difficult to do with carotenoids.

-I was given an unpublished interview that Prevention magazine did with the lead author of the OcuGuard study, and he commented that knowing what they knew 5 years after they designed the study, they would have added a B vitamin complex, which is why it is in my AMD regimen (For other reasons I had been taking one for years at that point). I have since read others who suggest a B vitamin complex for AMD, but I have yet to see what the rationale is.

Another study came out showing that aerobic exercise reduces the incidence of AMD. And ironically I discovered bicycling two months before I was diagnosed with AMD and have been doing over 6,000 miles a year (being a little crazy probably helps with all this also). So (a) I believe that aerobic exercise has definitely helped me and (b) that led to my theory that we need the “high pressure” blood flow from exercise for awhile each day to get rid of all the cellular waste so the body can now put the new healing components we are taking into the proper place.

There has been quite a bit recently on fish oil helping with AMD, and while the recommendation is for 1,000 mg of DHA and EPA, I opt for around 2,000 for those diagnosed with AMD. (I don’t recommend going above 2,500 mg because I am aware of some unpublished work at the University of Pennsylvania’s neurology department that shows heavier bleeding from head injuries for those at 3,000 mg or more.)

As for blueberries, see my Note 3 below.

And finally, wear blue blocker sunglasses. Blue light is the highest energy light in the visible spectrum, and it had been speculated for some time that it contributes to AMD. So I have been wearing them for 14 or so years when it was just conjecture, but now Dr. Caruso said it is no longer conjecture but very definite that blue light contributes to it.

-I get prescription sunglasses and specify the lenses must be blue blockers. Basically they are no different than any other pair of sunglasses other than the lenses are orangish with a brown tint.

-Dr. Caruso also insisted I get wrap around sports glasses to keep light from coming in from the side as well as polarized lenses, which dramatically reduce the amount of reflected light coming through the lenses.

Anyhow, I feel very fortunate to be diagnosed the month before the groundbreaking study on lutein and zeaxanthin and less than a year before the OcuGuard study came out. I think without these, I would definitely have serous vision problems in my right eye, and of course will always wonder if it would have appeared in my left eye some time later.

And please remember that my AMD was just beginning, but it still took many years to go away. But we now have more tools available to combat it than I had in 1994. Bottom line is that this is a long term, ongoing process, not a “silver bullet” that will take care of anyone’s AMD overnight.

Below is what I take for my AMD: