Carotenoids for Vision

Good vision depends on the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin to protect the macula of the eye from damaging light rays. When these pigments are low, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can occur. Children of parents with AMD are 45 percent more likely than others to also develop AMD.

In this study, 130 healthy offspring of AMD parents participated, with doctors measuring carotenoids at the center of the macula—the fovea, which is the area responsible for sharp central vision, and where carotenoid concentrations must be high. Forty-one percent had low foveal carotenoid levels and thinner foveas than those with good macular carotenoid levels.

Reference: BMC Ophthalmology; 2020, Vol. 20, No. 1, 473