Nutrition Corner with Dr. Julie Poteet
One of the most common questions I hear from patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is also one of the most important:
“Doctor, what should I eat?”
For years, we have known that nutrition matters to the health of the retina. But exciting new research is helping us answer that question with greater confidence—and with more specific guidance than simply telling patients to “eat healthy.”
A 2026 paper published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, led by researchers from the National Eye Institute, reviewed the evidence surrounding diet, nutritional supplements, and the progression of AMD. Their conclusion was remarkably clear: a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern appears beneficial across the stages of AMD. [1]
And perhaps most importantly, it is never too early—or too late—to improve the way we eat.
Think Dietary Pattern, Not One “Superfood”
When we talk about a Mediterranean diet, we are not talking about one magic food or nutrient.
The Mediterranean pattern is rich in:
- Colorful vegetables, especially dark leafy greens
- Whole fruits
- Beans and legumes
- Nuts and seeds
- Whole grains
- Fish and seafood
- Extra-virgin olive oil
At the same time, it tends to contain less red and processed meat, refined carbohydrates, added sugar, and highly processed foods.
Why might this matter to the retina?
The macula is one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body. Throughout our lifetime, it is exposed to tremendous oxidative and metabolic stress. A Mediterranean-style diet supplies carotenoids, antioxidants, polyphenols, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber while supporting cardiovascular and metabolic health.
Rather than thinking about nutrition as a single ingredient, I like to think of it as an orchestra. The power may come from many nutrients working together.
Your Stage of AMD May Matter
One of the most interesting findings emerging from recent research is that certain foods may be particularly important at different stages of AMD.
For people with early AMD, greater adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with a lower likelihood of progressing toward intermediate disease. In analyses from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), people with the highest adherence were approximately 21% less likely to develop large drusen than those with the lowest adherence. [1]
For people with intermediate AMD, fish appears especially important, with vegetables and lower red-meat consumption also contributing to a healthier dietary pattern. Earlier AREDS and AREDS2 research involving thousands of participants found that greater Mediterranean-diet adherence was associated with a lower risk of progression to late AMD—and the association was particularly strong for geographic atrophy. [2]
For people who already have geographic atrophy (GA), newer analyses provide another reason for hope. Greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet has been associated not only with slower enlargement of GA, but also with slower progression toward the central macula. Fruits and vegetables and lower red-meat intake appear particularly important. [1,3]
It is important to remember that these dietary findings are largely associations and do not prove that food alone can prevent AMD progression. But when similar patterns appear repeatedly across large studies, they give us valuable information about choices that may support retinal health.
What About AREDS2 Supplements?
This is where an important distinction needs to be made.
Food and AREDS2 supplements are not competitors. They serve complementary roles.
For patients with intermediate AMD or advanced AMD in one eye, an AREDS2 formulation may reduce the risk of progression to advanced AMD. But taking an AREDS2 supplement does not mean that nutrition no longer matters.
Conversely, eating an exceptional diet does not necessarily eliminate the benefit of AREDS2 supplementation when it is medically indicated.
Think of it this way: we want to give the retina every advantage we reasonably can.
Patients should always discuss AREDS2 supplementation with their eye-care provider because these high-dose formulations are intended for specific stages of AMD—not for everyone with early AMD or everyone hoping to prevent it.
What Can You Do Today?
Nutrition does not need to be complicated.
Add spinach or kale to an omelet.
Choose berries instead of a pastry.
Snack on a handful of nuts.
Use extra-virgin olive oil in place of butter more often.
Put salmon, sardines, trout, or another fish on the menu regularly.
Let vegetables occupy more of your plate and red or processed meat less of it.
You do not have to eat perfectly to eat better.
That may be one of the most encouraging messages in this research. The evidence suggests a dose-response relationship: healthier dietary patterns are associated with better outcomes, meaning that small changes, repeated consistently, may matter. [1]
AMD is influenced by age, genetics, smoking, and many other factors that we cannot completely control. Nutrition will never guarantee that someone will—or will not—develop advanced disease.
But food is one piece of the equation that we encounter several times every day.
And that gives us something extraordinarily valuable:
an opportunity to participate in protecting the sight we have.
References
- Keenan TDL, Hébert M, Chew EY, Johnson MW. What Should Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration Eat? American Journal of Ophthalmology. 2026;288:12–21.
- Keenan TDL, et al. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Progression to Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 and 2. Ophthalmology. 2020;127:1515–1528.
- Keenan TDL, et al. Relationships Between Diet and Geographic Atrophy Progression in the Age-Related Eye Diseases Studies 1 and 2. 2025.