Vitamins That May Help Macular DegenerationLocations:||||||SearchAdvertisementAdvertisementOctober 5, 2023/Diet, Food & Fitness/NutritionCan Vitamins Help Slow Macular Degeneration?They may help, but it depends on factors like the stage of your diseaseWhen you’re losing your vision due to wet age-related macular degeneration, or wet AMD, it’s normal to want to try everything in your power to maintain as much of your sight as you can. And if you’ve heard that vitamins may help, you may be ready to jump into the wide world of supplements.AdvertisementCleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. PolicyBut not so fast, says ophthalmologist Ananth Sastry, MD. Some vitamins may help slow the progression of AMD in people with certain types of the disease — but not for everyone. Before you start taking any vitamins for eye health, it’s important to understand what they can and can’t do.Are vitamins helpful for AMD?Two large studies of age-related eye diseases, both sponsored by the National Eye Institute, found that a combo of certain vitamins and minerals, known as AREDS2, could help slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration in some people. These supplements have high concentrations of specific micronutrients — more than you could get through diet or in a regular multivitamin.But there’s a big caveat: AREDS2 supplements aren’t helpful to everyone with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). These supplements primarily help people with intermediate-stage dry macular degeneration, not wet AMD.“AREDS2 hasn’t been demonstrated to have any significant benefit for eyes with wet macular degeneration or very advanced dry macular degeneration,” Dr. Sastry clarifies. “There’s also not enough evidence to show that taking AREDS2 vitamins prevents the onset of macular degeneration in patients who don’t already have it.”AdvertisementWet AMD is an advanced condition that can’t be cured, though it can be managed and treated. Your ophthalmologist may offer options like anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections, which may help preserve your remaining vision and prevent your wet AMD from getting worse.Which vitamins can help wet AMD?While there isn’t a cure for wet AMD, when you’re living with this serious eye condition, it’s still important to practice habits that will promote eye health. That includes eating a healthy, well-balanced diet full of vitamins and nutrients known to protect your eyes.And though AREDS2 vitamins haven’t been shown to impact wet AMD, your ophthalmologist might prescribe them if your condition hasn’t progressed at the same rate in both eyes. If, for example, one eye still only has intermediate-stage dry AMD, you might start taking AREDS2 to keep it from getting worse.“AREDS2 vitamins are recommended for people who have early or intermediate dry macular degeneration in one eye but advanced disease in the fellow eye,” Dr. Sastry explains. “Plus, dry macular degeneration can convert into wet macular degeneration at any time.”Let’s take a look at the specific vitamins in AREDS2 and how they help with eye health.Lutein and zeaxanthinNever heard of lutein and zeaxanthin? Most Americans don’t get enough of them through diet alone, but they have an important role to play in eye health — such a big role, in fact, that they’re sometimes known as “eye vitamins.”Both lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids, pigmented nutrients that give plants their bright colors. “They’re also found in high concentrations in your retina, where they protect against oxidative stress and help the eyes filter out harmful blue light,” Dr. Sastry says.Your daily dose of AREDS2 supplements contains 10 milligrams (mg) of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin.Vitamins C and EVitamin C and vitamin E are both potent antioxidants, which means they can help your body fight off unstable molecules known as free radicals. If left unchecked, free radicals can cause oxidative stress in your body, which is known to lead to diseases and may be a contributor to macular degeneration.The recommended daily AREDS2 supplements give you 500 mg of vitamin C and 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E.ZincZinc is a trace mineral, meaning you only need a little bit of it — but it has an outsized effect on eye health. It all has to do with how your body stores and uses vitamin A.Advertisement“Your eyes need vitamin A in order to produce certain pigments, see in the dark and maintain a healthy cornea,” Dr. Sastry explains. But your body stores vitamin A in your liver, not in your eyes, so zinc acts as a taxi driver, helping vitamin A travel from your liver to your retinas.There’s 80 mg of zinc in your daily dose of AREDS2 supplements.CopperCopper is also a trace mineral, though it isn’t necessarily related to eye health. So, why is it included in AREDS2? Zinc can affect your body’s ability to absorb copper, so adding extra zinc to your diet, like through supplementation, can actually lead to a copper deficiency. This puts you at risk for conditions like anemia, leukopenia and osteoporosis.“To help prevent copper deficiencies, AREDS2 supplements include 2 mg of copper,” Dr. Sastry says. “Just enough to give your body a little extra boost.”What about fish oil?Omega-3 fatty acids are good for eye health, too. But the same study that developed AREDS2 found that there was no added benefit to incorporating omega-3 fatty acids (like those found in fish oil pills) to the AREDS2 supplement combo. And you’re better off getting your omega-3s in food, as food sources have been shown to have bigger health benefits than supplements.AdvertisementTaking care of your eyes when you have wet AMDWhen you have macular degeneration — whether wet or dry — you shouldn’t rely on nutrition alone to help you manage your condition or prevent it from getting worse. These serious eye conditions need to be treated by specialists.“If you don’t treat vision loss quickly, it can be irreversible,” Dr. Sastry warns. “It’s also important to know that dry macular degeneration can convert into wet macular degeneration at any time.“If you have dry AMD and notice a new blind spot or central distortion that you hadn’t previously noticed, seek urgent treatment from a retina specialist."AdvertisementLearn more about our .Health LibraryMacular DegenerationOverviewSymptoms and CausesDiagnosis and TestsManagement and TreatmentOutlook / PrognosisHealth LibraryMacular DegenerationOverviewSymptoms and CausesDiagnosis and TestsManagement and TreatmentOutlook / PrognosisAdvertisementRelated ArticlesJune 4, 2025/Eye CareHaving a first-degree biological relative with this eye condition raises your risk, but other factors are at play, tooOctober 6, 2023/Eye CareEating a balanced diet can help protect your eyes and may prevent AMD from progressingSeptember 26, 2023/Eye CareWet age-related macular degeneration is rarer and always advancedJune 20, 2025/Eye CareTo avoid swimmer’s eye, wear goggles, use eye drops and flush out your eyes with fresh, clean water when irritatedJune 17, 2025/NutritionCoconut is a good source of healthy fat, fiber and essential minerals like manganeseJune 17, 2025/Rheumatology & ImmunologyIn general, you want to take this ‘sunshine vitamin’ with a meal or snack that contains healthy fatsJune 16, 2025/Men's HealthGetting stronger, feeling better and staying active isn’t just possible — it’s doableJune 13, 2025/Cold, Flu & Respiratory IllnessesThis fruit has clear nutritional benefits — but there’s little evidence it can prevent or treat illnessTrending TopicsSleepIf you’re feeling short of breath, sleep can be tough — propping yourself up or sleeping on your side may helpMental HealthIf you fear the unknown or find yourself needing reassurance often, you may identify with this attachment styleNutritionIf you’re looking to boost your gut health, it’s better to get fiber from whole foodsHealth Categories to ExploreBrain & Nervous SystemChildren's HealthExercise & FitnessHeart HealthMen's HealthMental HealthNutritionOrthopaedicsPrimary CareSkin Care & BeautyWellnessWomen's HealthOther Popular CategoriesAging WellAllergiesCancer Care & PreventionChronic PainCold, Flu & Respiratory IllnessesDiabetes & EndocrinologyDigestiveEar, Nose & ThroatEye CareInfectious DiseaseLungOral HealthParentingPregnancy & ChildbirthRecipesRheumatology & ImmunologySenior HealthSex & RelationshipsSleepUrinary & Kidney HealthWeight LossAdRendered: Fri Jun 20 2025 07:55:34 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)Cleveland ClinicSite Information & PoliciesResources9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195 | 800.223.2273 | © 2025 Cleveland Clinic. All Rights Reserved., Because AREDS 2 supplements have very large amounts of vitamins and minerals, they may change the way your body digests food. They can also change the way that other medicines work in your body. An older type of these supplements — called “AREDS” instead of “AREDS 2” — have beta-carotene, which can increase the risk of lung cancer , PreserVision® AREDS and AREDS 2 formula vitamins exactly match the formulas used during the AREDS clinical trials, and the NEl’s 10 year follow-on study validated the efficacy of this formula with 80mg of zinc and provided support for the continued benefit of lutein and zeaxanthin. The science behind the AREDS 2 ingredients.