Why Stress Increases Your Risk of Age Related Macular Degeneration

Stress can have a direct impact on the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) according to researchers. Age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss within older adults in the Western World and this is most commonly associated with physical stress.

Researchers believe that because AMD is an inflammatory disease, there is a direct link between being stressed and the role of inflammation in causing the eye disease. They are now looking into the way that a person’s wellbeing can affect the treatment outcomes and results of AMD.

The study published in Optometry and Vision Science looked at 137 patients with AMD and an average age of 82. Researchers from Ohio State University used the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), known to predict biological markers for stress, even though these haven’t been used for AMD until now. They also used the Rasch analysis and found that the overall PSS score wasn’t significantly related to the patients’ visual acuity level – although they did separate out patients with higher stress levels, relating to their condition.

Previous studies have shown there’s also a link between people with a high rate of anxiety, depression and stress and AMD. However, little is known about how stress can affect the overall severity of AMD and if it makes the condition worse at all.

Ultimately, the researchers say that PSS is designed for patients with a much higher stress level than participants in the study, but that the theory is sound until there is a better option available.

They hope that by using PSS on patients with AMD, they can find evidence for increased psychological symptoms that show up in the general population.

Relieving Stress Is Important For Good Health

Stress plays a major role in raising the levels of cortisol in the body, creating inflammation. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that regulates a wide range of processes including the metabolism and the immune response. When the immune system is triggered, then inflammation increases as a means of protecting the body against harm and trying to initiate the healing process.

Staying relaxed is therefore very important if you want to protect your eye health in the long term. Learning to unwind, let go of stress and anxiety is key to a healthy recovery. The best ways to unwind are with deep breathing exercises, getting the key nutrients the body needs, meditation (even just 5 minutes a day can help) and taking a good B vitamin supplement.

In particular, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), B6, L-Tryptophan and L-Theanine are highly beneficial at maintaining stress and unwieldy cortisol levels while encouraging relaxation. Alongside this, taking the right eye supporting nutrients can make a big difference to your general level of health and prevent the risk of conditions such as Age Related Macular Degeneration.

Recommended Examples

Relaxwell™ – This is a combination formula containing L-Tryptophan, L-Theanine and Vitamin B3 and B6. It is designed to support sleep and relaxation and is helpful for anyone looking for support due to their highly stressful job or irregular sleep patterns.

Eye supporting nutrients…

Eye Health Pack – Contains MaxiFocus™ a range of vitamins and nutrients to support eye health, The Krill Miracle™ derived from pure Krill and omega-3 fatty acids, Astaxanthin with DHA that plays a powerful protective antioxidant role, Active Life Capsules for a wide range of multivitamins and minerals, Taurine Spray – an amino acid that can nourish and defend against UV light (and therefore protect against Age-Related Macular Degeneration), Vitamin C Camu Camu for powerful antioxidant and high levels of Vitamin C. Serranol to relieve inflammation and Alpha Lipoic Acid R™ that works as an antioxidant, to suppress vascular inflammation and to help prevent oxidative damage.