Trends in Opthalmologists’ Recommendations to Patients for Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract

Age-related-macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of visual loss in the western world. One major emphasis in ophthalmologists’ practice has been on methods to prevent or mitigate the development of AMD. Several factors have been shown to oppose the development of AMD, including: not smoking, maintaining a normal BMI, AREDS2 vitamin supplementation, and consuming a Mediterranean diet. Although significant associations between AMD and the aforementioned risk factors have been reported and cited in the literature, it is not known what impact this information has exerted in clinical practice and to what degree each of these interventions are actually recommended to patients.