Lylas G. Mogk, MD, a renowned expert on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Director of the Visual Rehabilitation and Research Centers, Henry Ford Health System, and co-author of Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight , explains:

"AMD is currently understood to be caused by a combination of individual factors and environmental exposures. The four individual factors that predispose us to AMD that we cannot control are age, Caucasian race, a variation on a gene that regulates inflammation, and a family history of AMD. The individual factors that we can control include smoking, dietary habits, unprotected sun exposure, and possibly exercise, blood pressure and cholesterol. The environmental exposures that promote AMD and are not generally under our control include smoke, air pollution, sunlight less modulated because of a thinner ozone layer, and insufficient nutrients in our food.

Age and the environmental factors together produce an increased number of free radicals in the macula. Free radicals are unstable molecules that must be neutralized to keep them from causing damage and Mother Nature has provided anti-oxidants in food to neutralize the free radicals. However, when we have too many free radicals and not enough anti-oxidants, damage is done. The first sign of damage in the macula is small white spots called drusen, which the ophthalmologist can see usually before the individual is experiencing vision loss. This initial damage triggers inflammation, which causes more damage, exacerbated by more free radicals, resulting in more inflammation and the cycle continues, eventually scarring the macula and causing central vision loss."