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Niyati Parekh, PhD, RD(India); Richard J. Chappell, PhD; Amy E. Millen, PhD; Daniel M. Albert, MD; Julie A. Mares, PhD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2007;125(5):661-669.

Objective  To evaluate the associations between levels of vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) in serum and prevalent age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods and Design  Cross-sectional associations of serum vitamin D and early and advanced AMD, assessed from nonmydriatic fundus photographs, were evaluated in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a multistage nationally representative probability sample of noninstitutionalized individuals (N = 7752; 11% with AMD).

Results  Levels of serum vitamin D were inversely associated with early AMD but not advanced AMD. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for early AMD among participants in the highest vs lowest quintile of serum vitamin D was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.5-0.8; P trend <.001). Exploratory analyses were conducted to evaluate associations with important food and supplemental sources of vitamin D. Milk intake was inversely associated with early AMD (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.6-0.9). Fish intake was inversely associated with advanced AMD (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.2-0.9). Consistent use vs nonuse of vitamin D from supplements was inversely associated with early AMD only in individuals who did not consume milk daily (early AMD: OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.5-0.9).

Conclusion  This study provides evidence that vitamin D may protect against AMD. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Author Affiliations: The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick (Dr Parekh); Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (Drs Parekh, Albert, and Mares) and Department of Statistics and Biostatistics (Dr Chappell), University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison; and Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY (Dr Millen).

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