Age-related macular degeneration patients’ awareness of nutritional factors

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment in older adults in the United Kingdom. This study sought to characterise AMD patients who seek the services of the Macular Society, and determine the level and source of their dietary knowledge. A questionnaire was designed, validated, and administered to 158 participants. The questions covered demographic data and knowledge of nutrition and supplementation. The mean age of participants was 79 years; 61% of them were female, and 27% were registered visually impaired. Only 55% of the participants thought diet was important for eye health, 63% felt that they had not received enough information about AMD. The participants reported that their information mainly came from non-professional support groups. Most participants identified healthy food, but could not say why, and were not able to identify carotenoid rich foods. The results of the study will inform design of education and dissemination methods regarding dietary information.

A qualitative exploration of eyecare professional perspectives on Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) care

“…−43.5%) and lack of information about macular disease (43.4%) [45]. Over half of people with AMD indicated that they do not receive enough information about nutrition and lifestyle choices [46]. Ninety percent of participants reported having been told “nothing can be done about your macular disease” by their specialist and reported feeling anxiety / depression, resignation, shock / sick/ panic, helplessness, anger, and suicidal as a result [45].…”

Dietary analysis and nutritional behaviour in people with and without age-related macular disease

“…The survey was then piloted, refined and administered to the cohort. Full details of the piloting process and survey design and are reported elsewhere (10) . The focus of this report is on the dietary aspects of this survey and cooking abilities, hence, not all the results of the 36 questions are covered here (10) .…”

“…Full details of the piloting process and survey design and are reported elsewhere (10) . The focus of this report is on the dietary aspects of this survey and cooking abilities, hence, not all the results of the 36 questions are covered here (10) . The participants' occupations were divided into 10 major groups using the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) version 08.…”

“…Patients who have sought the help of the Macular Society could be considered an 'informed' population as they have information available to them in the form of monthly magazines, written material, a helpline and the Society's website. However, in a recent study, not all were not taking a nutritional supplement and many of those that did take a supplement were not taking a clinically proven formulation or dosage (10) . We therefore sought to investigate this population's dietary intake of L and Z, and compare it to a cohort of age matched patients without the condition.…”

A qualitative exploration of Australian eyecare professional perspectives on Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) care

“…-47.8%) [52,53]. Over half of people with AMD indicated that they do not receive enough information about nutrition and lifestyle choices [54]. Many studies have highlighted the negative impact of an AMD diagnosis on individuals' emotional wellbeing and the inability of eyecare professionals to provide the type of information and support that is required by people with AMD [55,56].…”