Di Carlo Emiliano, Augustin Albert J
Department of Ophthalmology, Städtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe, 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany.
J Clin Med. 2021 Jul 26;10(15):3297. doi: 10.3390/jcm10153297.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) represents the leading cause of irreversible blindness in elderly people, mostly after the age of 65. The progressive deterioration of visual function in patients affected by AMD has a significant impact on quality of life and has also high social costs. The current therapeutic options are only partially able to slow down the natural course of the disease, without being capable of stopping its progression. Therefore, better understanding of the possibilities to prevent the onset of the disease is needed. In this regard, a central role is played by the identification of risk factors, which might participate to the development of the disease. Among these, the most researched are dietary risk factors, lifestyle, and light exposure. Many studies showed that a higher dietary intake of nutrients, such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta carotene, omega-3 fatty acids and zinc, reduced the risk of early AMD. Regarding lifestyle habits, the association between smoking and AMD is currently accepted. Finally, retinal damage caused by ultraviolet rays and blue light is also worthy of attention. The scope of this review is to summarize the present knowledge focusing on the measures to adopt in order to prevent the onset of AMD.
年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）是老年人不可逆失明的主要原因，大多发生在65岁之后。AMD患者视觉功能的逐渐恶化对生活质量有重大影响，且社会成本也很高。目前的治疗方案只能部分减缓疾病的自然进程，无法阻止其进展。因此，需要更好地了解预防该疾病发生的可能性。在这方面，识别可能参与疾病发展的危险因素起着核心作用。其中，研究最多的是饮食危险因素、生活方式和光照。许多研究表明，较高的饮食摄入量，如叶黄素、玉米黄质、β-胡萝卜素、ω-3脂肪酸和锌，可降低早期AMD的风险。关于生活习惯，吸烟与AMD之间的关联目前已被认可。最后，紫外线和蓝光引起的视网膜损伤也值得关注。本综述的范围是总结目前关于预防AMD发生应采取措施的知识。
