Although there is not — as of yet — an approved treatment or cure for dry AMD, several clinical trials are in progress, including a new study by OccuLogix to assess Rheopheresis as a potential therapy for dry AMD. In addition, the National Eye Institute, the Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc., The Macular Degeneration Partnership and Macular Degeneration Support provide the following recommendations for slowing down, or preventing the progression of, both dry and wet AMD:

• Diet and weight control: Studies suggest that eating antioxidant-rich foods such as fresh fruits, dark green leafy vegetables (a good source of lutein) and at least one serving of fish per week may delay the onset or reduce the severity of dry AMD; in addition, obesity may increase the risk for progression to advanced AMD.
• Nutritional supplements:
  • The National Eye Institute's AREDS trial indicated that supplements containing high doses of antioxidant vitamins, copper, and zinc may reduce the risk of developing advanced AMD by approximately 30%.
  • Be sure to talk with your doctor before adding any nutritional or vitamin supplements to your diet.
• Blue Light: Avoid ultraviolet and blue light (particular light waves that make the sky, or any object, appear blue) as much as possible and wear sunglasses that block blue light. In commercial sunglasses, this is usually in the yellow-orange-amber tints. Macular Degeneration Support provides two online articles about this topic: Blue Light and Macular Degeneration by Dr. Mogk and Artificial Lighting and the Blue Light Hazard by Dan Roberts.
• Control blood pressure: In the AREDS trial, individuals with hypertension were 1.5 times more likely to have wet AMD than persons without hypertension.
• Avoid smoking: If you do smoke, stop — and avoid secondhand smoke as well.

Lylas G. Mogk, MD, a renowned expert on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), suggests:

Nutrition: "You may want to eat wolfberries as well, which are the richest source of zeaxanthin. They are available dried in health food stores and on the Internet. Eat a lot of fish and fish oil, or flaxseed oil, rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Minimize your intake of packaged and processed foods, all of which contain much omega-6 fatty acid. Avoid artificial fats. If you want to eat a cookie, eat a real one rather than a low fat one; just don't eat the whole box. The trans fats that are put into foods to substitute for real fat are not good for you or for your eyes."

Supplements: "If you have AMD, take supplements. If you don't have AMD and wish to take nutritional supplements, take a good multiple vitamin/mineral combination with additional lutein and omega-3 fatty acids. The AREDS formula is not recommended for those who don't have macular degeneration because of the high dose of zinc."

Research: "A number of other studies have shown that intake of fruit, rich in anti-oxidants, and fish and fish oil, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, are associated with lower rates of AMD. While none of these smaller studies have demonstrated cause and effect, their findings make sense in terms of the current understanding of the process of AMD as involving excess free radicals, insufficient antioxidants, and chronic inflammation. The environmental factors of smoke, including second hand smoke, air pollution, and sunlight, increase free radicals and our modern system of food production and packaging is likely to decrease the antioxidant content in our food, and even to increase chronic inflammation."

Rheopheresis Treatment for Dry AMD — an Update

OccuLogix has announced a new clinical trial to assess Rheopheresis as a potential therapy for dry AMD. The new study, called RHEO-AMD, is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the RHEO® procedure in patients with intermediate-to-late stage dry AMD. If successful, OccuLogix is expected to apply to the FDA for approval to market its RHEO® system in the US. Although the procedure is available in Canada and Germany, it is not approved for AMD treatment in the US. The trial will take place at up to 25 sites; researchers will also evaluate patients' responses to a questionnaire that evaluates the impact of AMD upon daily living tasks. You can read more about the RHEO® procedure at the Rheo web site and at Macular Degeneration Support.