The lining that covers the back of your eye contains an area of tissue called the macula. This area helps provide you with straight-ahead vision. Damage to this tissue may result in macular degeneration, an eye disease that can lead to vision loss. Treatment does not typically restore lost vision, making prevention an important part in protecting your eyes. Some nutrients may protect your eyes while others, like thiamine, do not have a role in this disease.
Cause
Macular degeneration occurs when you have damage to the cells that make up your macula. This cell damage prevents the macula from functioning properly, limiting the visual information sent to your brain. In advanced cases of macular degeneration, also known as wet macular degeneration, abnormal vessels grow under this tissue. The vessels have a fragile quality and may break and leak fluid under the macula. This event will often lift and displace the macula, resulting in significant vision loss.
Thiamine
Thiamine plays many roles in the body. This nutrient aids in the proper function of your muscles and nervous system as well as helping to produce the hydrochloric acid necessary for digestion. Some metabolic processes, such as the metabolism of carbohydrates also require thiamine. Despite the many functions of thiamine, this nutrient does not have any effect in treating or preventing macular degeneration.
Prevention
In most cases of macular degeneration, once the damage occurs, treatment does not improve or restore vision lost to this disease. As a result, your doctor may discuss the ways you can prevent macular degeneration. The National Eye Institute sponsored a study on prevention and released the results in 2001. The study, called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, determined that high doses of certain nutrients could decrease the risk of the advanced form of this disease by 25 percent. The dosage recommendation included 500mg of vitamin C, 400 international units of vitamin E, 25,000 international units of vitamin A and 80mg of zinc. The study also recommends 2mg of copper to prevent a deficiency related to a high zinc intake.
Considerations
Your doctor will tell you if you should take high doses of the nutrients recommended by the National Eye Institute. These doses may not offer the appropriate protection for everyone, or you may have a health condition that prevents you from taking one or more of these nutrients. You should not take these nutrients or any other supplement, including thiamine, without first consulting with your doctor.
