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Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology pp 1–2Cite as

Antioxidants

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Definition

Antioxidants are protective factors against age-related macular degeneration (AMD). They may include zinc, beta-carotene, vitamin C and E, lutein/zeaxanthin, omega 3 fatty acid, and eicosapentaenoic/docosahexaenoic acid.

Indication

According to The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) that was sponsored by the US National Eye Institute taking high levels of antioxidants and zinc can reduce the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by about 25 %. Additional research suggests that carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins may help to retard some of the destructive processes in the retina and the retinal pigment epithelium that lead to age-related degeneration of the macula. From these findings, it is recommended that antioxidants are indicated in people who are at high risk for developing advanced AMD.

Contraindication

Allergy to any of the substances.

Use and Dosage

The specific daily amounts of antioxidants and zinc used by the study researchers were...

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Further Reading

  • Cassileth B (2014) Survivorship: living well during and after cancer. Spry Publishing, Ann Arbor

    Google Scholar 

  • Holz P et al Age related macular degeneration, 2nd edn. Springer

    Google Scholar 

  • Labriola D (2000) Complementary cancer therapies. Three Rivers Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Barbara Gold

Authors
  1. Barbara Gold
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barbara Gold .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Medical University of Wien Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Wien, Austria

    Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main Department of Ophthalmology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Thomas Kohnen

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Cite this entry

Gold, B. (2015). Antioxidants. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_1137-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_1137-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35951-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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