Does hypertension and heart disease affect macular degeneration?
Yes. Hypertension tends to make some forms of macular degeneration worse, especially in the “wet” form where the retinal tissues are invaded by new blood vessels. The medications used to treat hypertension have not been shown to have any direct effect on macular degeneration, but they may slow progression of the disease by reducing hypertension. Likewise, those suffering from atherosclerosis heart disease also are at higher risk for developing macular degeneration, and the same nutrients which protect from heart disease (i.e. the antioxidants), are helpful for macular degeneration as well. It is interesting to note that deficiencies of the vitamins and minerals which have been shown to cause heart disease also have been implicated in macular degeneration risk.
