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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffThere's no treatment available to reverse dry macular degeneration. But this doesn't mean you'll eventually lose all of your sight. Dry macular degeneration usually progresses slowly, and many people with the condition are able to live relatively normal, productive lives, especially if only one eye is affected. Dry macular degeneration can, however, develop into the more rapidly progressive wet type of macular degeneration at any time.
Taking a high-dose formulation of antioxidants and zinc may reduce progression of dry macular degeneration to advanced macular degeneration. The National Eye Institute-sponsored Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) showed that a daily supplement of 500 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E, 15 mg of beta carotene (often as vitamin A — up to 25,000 IU), 80 mg of zinc (as zinc oxide) and 2 mg of copper (as cupric oxide) reduced the risk of progressing to moderate or severe vision loss by up to 25 percent.
