VIDEO: Smoking cessation recommended for patients with AMD

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AMD is a very complex disease. It definitely has a genetic component to it. However, when it comes to lifestyle prevention strategies, I think the most obvious one is stop smoking. Smoking is a very strong risk factor that’s been associated with both the development and progression of AMD. So certainly, when it comes to prevention, we always recommend patients to stop smoking. Other lifestyle-related preventive strategies, there’s some evidence to suggest that a Mediterranean diet can help with the prevention and slowing down progression of AMD. And last but not least, I think regular examination by an ophthalmologist in general is important to pick up the early signs of AMD. And of course, once a patient is diagnosed with AMD, he or she should really get a regular eye exam with either an ophthalmologist or retina specialist every 6 months or 12 months.