Age Related Macular Degeneration.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) is a degenerative disease of the macula. The macula. which is the part of the retina responsible for our central vision. can be severely affected. In fact. ARMD is the number one cause of legal blindness in the United States today. There are many risk factors for this disease process. such as a possible hereditary component. higher levels of serum cholesterol. smoking (which increases the risk of developing ARMD 2.5 times) and cardiovascular disease (which nearly doubles the rate of visual impairment in patients with ARMD). However. the biggest risk factor for ARMD is age. The statistic that up to 33% of the population 75 years and older have some form of ARMD coupled with the prediction that the number of people aged 65 years and older will have doubled (as compared to 1990) by the year 2050, makes ARMD a frightening disease.22.27 For this reason. much research has been done in recent years on a number of possible treatments and preventative measures. Many studies have focused on the use of antioxidants. To someone just diagnosed with ARMD, the concept of what the disease can do to their vision can be terrifying and mysterious. And the information on antioxidant use can be confusing and vague. This paper. then is designed to help professionals involved in health care as well as patients being diagnosed with ARMD (or their family and friends) to understand what ARMD is, the process underlying the disease, and to review some of the studies concerning antioxidant treatments. In order to do this. we must start at the "beginning" with retinal anatomy.