To Your Good Health
Macular degeneration blurs vision center
By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What can a person do to prevent macular degeneration? Two women on my block have it, and they have had to curtail their activities drastically. They are both widows. So am I. If I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t survive. — T.O.

ANSWER: Macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of visual impairment for older people. The macula is a small, round area of the retina, the eye layer that transmits incoming images to the brain so that we can see. The macula is the place of fine, central vision — the kind needed to drive, to read and to sew. When the macula deteriorates, it’s as if a thumb smudge blurs the center of vision.

The degeneration comes in two forms: wet and dry. Wet is the proliferation of leaky blood vessels beneath the macula. With the dry form, the kind that accounts for 85 percent to 90 percent of cases, causes are obscure, but the process is preceded by yellow deposits in the retina. Those deposits are drusen, and a doctor, looking into the eye with a handheld scope, can see them.

One prevention route is to protect the eye, the retina and the macula from the sun’s ultraviolet light by always wearing sunglasses that filter out UV rays. Asecond preventive step is to stop smoking.

Athird way to ward off macular degeneration is to eat a diet that contains large amounts of vitamins E and C, beta carotene and zinc. Whole grains, vegetable oils, eggs and nuts are good sources of vitamin E. Citrus fruits and juices, broccoli, potatoes and green peppers furnish vitamin C. Beta carotene is found in carrots, kale and spinach. Meats, poultry, fish, dairy products and whole grains provide zinc.

Vitamin preparations of those vitamins and zinc, along with copper, are also available. You should talk with your doctor about the advisability of taking such a preparation. It can slow the progression of moderate macular degeneration to advanced degeneration.

The booklet on macular degeneration goes into greater detail on this topic. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 701W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Would you answer a question for me concerning blood types? How are they listed in order of rarity? Everyone knows that type O is a universal blood donor and the most common blood type. What is next, starting with the most common and ending with the rarest? — J.A.

ANSWER: The largest percentage of people are type O, just as you said — 45 percent. Blood type A follows in second place with 40 percent. Coming in third is blood type B, with 11 percent. In last place is blood type AB, with 4 percent.

The percentages are not the same for all ethnic groups, but the order of blood types is the same.

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Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

(c) 2006 North America Syndicate All Rights Reserved