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Mercy eye surgeon Dr. Sheri Rowen, Director, Eye & Cosmetic Surgery Center at Mercy

Mercy's Dr. Sheri Rowen Discusses Role of Omega-3's In Preventing Dry Form Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration (MD) is a condition that causes loss of vision in the very center of the eye. It’s usually related to age, but can sneak up on you. Now a popular food supplement has proven to be helpful in stopping its progression.

Mary Stambaugh has never really had a problem with her eyes, never needed glasses. But not too long ago…

“I went to an annual eye exam and found I had the early stages of age-related dry form macular degeneration,” Ms. Stambaugh said.

According to Mercy Medical Center ophthalmologic surgeon, Dr. Sheri Rowen, macular degeneration can lead to a very gradual loss of vision.

“Retinas can’t get rid of its waste products, it’s a very metabolically active tissue. And it forms drusens,” Dr. Rowen said. With dry form MD, the deterioration of the retina is associated with the formation of small yellow deposits, known as drusen, under the macula.

There is no cure for dry MD, but a new study found that the more Omega-3’s someone ingests, the less incidence of MD.

“And in the state of affairs of our diet and what we do, we really almost have a case of ‘omega-nemia,’ which is a lack of Omega-3’s in our diet,” Dr. Rowen said.

Ms. Stambaugh does take Omega-3’s and special eye vitamins; in February of this year, doctors found there was no progression in her macular degeneration.

“If patients get in to us early, we can prevent severe vision loss in many cases,” Dr. Rowen said.

Risk factors for MD include smoking, obesity and being Caucasian; whites are more likely to incur vision loss from macular degeneration than African-Americans. Women and those who have a family history of the disease are also at higher risk.

To view Dr. Sheri Rowen’s interview with WBAL-TV11 on this topic, click this link: http://www.wbaltv.com/video/28079742/detail.html.