YORK COUNTY, Pa. — “Age-related macular degeneration, in short, AMD, is damage to the most central part and most important part of your retina which is the macula.”
We have known for years that living in polluted areas can cause health problems ranging from decreased lung function to development of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, and even cancer.
However, a new study out of the British Journal of Ophthalmology now shows a link between AMD and living in highly polluted areas, so I spoke with Dr. Gregg Peters, an optometrist with the Keystone Eye Care Group in York to dig a little deeper.
Areas with higher levels of pollution, more specifically regions with higher levels of particulate matter such as nitrogen dioxide, is associated with AMD likely through oxidative stress. Even very low levels of exposure appears to increase risk for AMD.
“The blood vessels in the retina and macula are some of the smallest blood vessels in the whole body, so it doesn’t take a lot of oxygen deprivation before you have a problem pretty quickly.”
AMD is the leading cause of permanent blindness for people over the age of 50. Smoking cigarettes is also a risk factor for AMD, making it not all too surprising that pollution has a negative impact on eye health as well.
“If the lungs are damaged by the pollution, they aren’t going to be able to carry oxygen to any part of the body.”
There are things you can do to help prevent AMD. First and most obvious, you want to consider what you are putting into your body.
“Obviously you want to have good nutrition. There are vitamins that you can take that may slow it (AMD) down and may help to retard the progress of it, but once you already have it it’s sort of too late to start to eat right. Especially fatty foods are bad for the retina.
Something else you might want to consider? Blue light blocking glasses to protect your eyes from glare and reduce potential damage to the retina.
“Another thing is the blue light that I’ll just mention about from your phone and tablet. If you have a tablet or phone that has blue shades and cuts the blue light out, you’re going to want to do that. Have it on.”