Vitamin D Deficiency May be Unhealthy for Eyes

Anti-inflammatory and other properties of Vitamin D may play a significant role in eye health, specifically in the possible prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among women.

At the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, Associate Professor Amy Millen and her team, found women who are deficient in vitamin D with a high-risk genotype are 6.7 times more likely to develop AMD.

Women are more genetically prone to developing the sight-damaging disease. “This study . . does suggest if you’re at high genetic risk for AMD, having enough vitamin D might help reduce your risk,” said Assoc. Prof. Millen.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study that’s looked at the interaction between genetic risk and vitamin D status in the context of age-related eye disease.”

Researchers analysed data compiled on 1,230 women ages 54 to 74.

Vitamin D shows promise for protecting against AMD because of its anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic properties. Antiangiogenic refers to slowing the growth of new blood vessels, often seen in late stages of AMD.

Assoc. Prof. Millen said patients should not be encouraged to rush out and purchase vitamin D supplements. “Our message is not that achieving really high levels of vitamin D are good for the eye, but that having deficient vitamin D levels may be unhealthy for your eyes.”

Thank you very much for your kind your donation

It seems everywhere we shop today we are being invited to add a dollar for a charity. Big brands are very good at telling us when they are doing good things. So we thought we should shout out what we’re up to here at McDonald Adams.

Last month we donated $394 to Glaucoma New Zealand, $2 for every eye health examination. Glaucoma New Zealand is working towards education to prevent blindness.

We contribute to Macular Degeneration NZ, another organisation focused on raising awareness of early detection to prevent sight loss.

Locally we support people all across our community: Mahurangi College, Rodney College, Warkworth Primary School, Matakana Primary School, Snells Beach School, Leigh School, Kaipara Flats School, Ahuroa School, Wellsford School, Tapora Primary School, Pakiri School, Tomarata Primary School, Horizon School, Tauhoa School and several early child care centres.

Mahurangi East Tennis Club

Wellsford / Warkworth Hospice

Bowls Warkworth

University of Auckland Scholarship fund

Having a baseline helps

We recommend a ‘baseline’ eye scan for people over 40 years old coming to us for regular eye examinations. OCT stands for scanning technology Optical Coherence Tomography. Scanning lets us ‘see’ tissue behind the visible retina inside the eye. In the past 5 years these scans have become invaluable in monitoring your eye health.

Most of us know the importance of regular checks to protect our future eyesight and acknowledge how precious our eyesight is. Documenting a ‘normal and healthy’ situation gives us the best chance of catching problems early. These detailed measurements of your eye form a baseline we can compare back to - a useful check.

How often should you have eye scans?

Once we have a baseline scan then repeating every 5 years is smart. If there are other concerns during your regular exam we will recommend repeating the eye scans.

We use more comprehensive scans when we are monitoring eye conditions such as Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration. In these conditions different scans help us determine if things are progressing or stable.

What is an OCT? How does it help in Macular Degeneration and Glaucoma?

OCT stands for scanning technology Optical Coherence Tomography. Scanning lets us ‘see’ tissue behind the visible retina inside the eye. In the past 5 years OCT has become invaluable in assessing eye health, particularly helpful for Macular Degeneration (MD) and Glaucoma.

When we see signs of MD during an eye examination, we take an OCT scan which reveals what is happening in the underlying retina. In particular we want to spot the ‘wet’ form of MD which can cause rapid, devastating vision changes. With a scan we can see if there is fluid in the macula and allows us to make referral for treatment.

The detailed measurements of the nerve fibre layer in the eye are particularly helpful when we are looking for Glaucoma. If there are signs in a regular examination, OCT gives us a way to closely monitor changes over time. These changes are seen before any vision loss.

But OCT is not a stand alone magic bullet. It’s a tool and interpreting the results needs careful consideration along with all other clinical findings. At the end of the day an OCT scanner is not an optometrist.

We are committed to using all our available diagnostic tools and we strongly believe the best place to start is regular eye examinations. The simple, vital step of spending time with you, to collect relevant history, through careful listening, guides us to the best combination of diagnostic testing.