Sunlight Exposure, Antioxidants, and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract

To examine the association of sunlight exposure and antioxidant level with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: Four thousand seven hundred fifty-three participants aged 65 years or older in the European Eye Study underwent fundus photography, were interviewed for adult lifetime sunlight exposure, and gave blood for antioxidant analysis. Blue light exposure was estimated by combining meteorologic and questionnaire data. Results: Data on sunlight exposure and antioxidants were available in 101 individuals with neovascular AMD, 2182 with early AMD, and 2117 controls. No association was found between blue light exposure and neovascular or early AMD. Significant associations were found between blue light exposure and neovascular AMD in individuals in the quartile of lowest antioxidant levelvitamin C, zeaxanthin, vitamin E, and dietary zincwith an odds ratio of about 1.4 for 1 standard deviation unit increase in blue light exposure. Higher odds ratios for blue light were observed with combined low antioxidant levels, especially vitamin C, zeaxanthin, and vitamin E (odds ratio, 3.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.6-8.9), which were also associated with early stages of AMD. Conclusions: Although it is not possible to establish causality between sunlight exposure and neovascular AMD, our results suggest that people in the general population should use ocular protection and follow dietary recommendations for the key antioxidant nutrients.

Structural characterization of bisretinoid A2E photocleavage products and implications for age-related macular degeneration

“…Evidence from our work (14,25,48,49) indicates that antioxidants may operate at least in part by suppressing RPE bisretinoid photooxidation. The current report also lends support to epidemiological studies that suggest a link between AMD and sunlight exposure (50,51). in ethanol or all-trans-retinal and Cbz-Lys-Leu-OEt in ethanol espectively, as described in SI Text.…”

Photodegradation of retinal bisretinoids in mouse models and implications for macular degeneration

“…Although epidemiological evidence of an association between sunlight exposure and AMD has been inconsistent over the years (48)(49)(50), recent studies have provided supported for such a link (51)(52)(53). The adverse consequences of lipofuscin bisretinoid photodegradation could be a pathway that explains this relationship.…”

Risks of Age Related Macular Degeneration and Led Lighting

“…В ходе исследования связи меж-ду синим светом и неоваскулярной или ранней ВМД обнаружено не было. Однако установлена значительная зависимость между воздействием синего света и более высоким риском развития влажной ВМД при низких уровнях витамина С, зеаксантина и витамина Е, которые также были связаны с ранними стадиями ВМД с коэффици-ентом шансов (OR) около 1,4, или 40 % [29]. Хотя невозможно было установить причин-ность между воздействием солнечного света и неоваскулярной ВМД.…”

“…4. Соотношение шансов и доверительные интервалы воздействия blue light [29] Характеристика этапов развития возрастной макулярной дегенерации [12,14,18,25,32] Исходя из сформулированной целевой функции гигиенического подхода, математиче-скую модель поэтапного накопления А2Е для прогнозирования ВМД можно представить как…”