Can dry AMD be slowed? Supplements, lifestyle and light therapy explained

Being told you have dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) often leaves people with one question: can anything be done? The honest answer is that there is no cure yet, but there are real, evidence-based steps that can lower the risk of it progressing and help protect the vision you have. Here is what the evidence says, and what it does not.

Dry and wet AMD: a quick explainer

AMD affects the macula, the small central part of the retina that gives you sharp, detailed vision for reading, faces and driving. Side vision is usually unaffected.

• Dry AMD is the most common form. It develops slowly, often over years, as the cells of the macula gradually thin and deposits called drusen build up beneath the retina.
• Wet AMD happens when abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula and leak. It can cause rapid change and needs urgent treatment, usually injections at an NHS eye clinic.

Dry AMD is often described in stages: early, intermediate and late. Late dry AMD is called geographic atrophy. What helps most depends on the stage, which is why an accurate diagnosis with retinal imaging matters.

What can help

1. Stopping smoking

Smoking is the single biggest risk factor for AMD that you can change. It significantly increases the chance of developing AMD and of it progressing. Stopping at any age helps, and NHS stop-smoking services are free.

2. AREDS2 supplements, for the right people

This is the best-studied option. In the large US AREDS trial, a specific high-dose combination of vitamins and minerals reduced the risk of progressing to advanced AMD by about 25% over five years in people who already had intermediate AMD, or late AMD in one eye. The follow-up AREDS2 study replaced beta-carotene with lutein and zeaxanthin, partly because beta-carotene was linked to a higher lung cancer risk in smokers and former smokers.

Two important points:

• These supplements have not been shown to help people with only early AMD, or to prevent AMD in people who do not have it.
• They are high-dose, so check with your GP or pharmacist if you take other medicines. Look for a formula that matches the AREDS2 study rather than a general "eye health" multivitamin.

3. Diet

Diets rich in leafy green vegetables (such as spinach and kale, which contain lutein and zeaxanthin) and oily fish are associated with a lower risk of AMD progression in population studies. Diet is not a treatment on its own, but it supports your overall eye health and is good for you in every other way too.

4. Regular monitoring

Regular eye examinations with OCT scanning let us see changes in the layers of the macula before you notice them. Between visits, we may suggest checking each eye at home with an Amsler grid, a simple square grid that makes distortion easier to spot early.

5. Valeda light therapy (photobiomodulation)

Valeda is a non-invasive light therapy for dry AMD. It uses specific wavelengths of light, delivered while you look into the device, which are thought to support the energy production of cells in the retina. There are no injections and no surgery.

• In the LIGHTSITE III clinical trial, eyes treated with Valeda showed, on average, an improvement in vision of more than five letters on the eye chart (about one line) over 24 months, compared with eyes given a sham treatment.
• In November 2024 it became the first treatment authorised by the US FDA for vision loss in dry AMD. It is also UKCA marked in the UK.
• One treatment cycle is nine short sessions over a few weeks.

Valeda is not a cure, it is not a treatment for wet AMD, and the evidence is still developing. It was studied in people with early and intermediate dry AMD, so it will not be right for everyone. We always check the macula first and give you a straight answer on whether it is suitable.

What about treatments you may have read about?

Home red light devices

University research into deep red light and ageing retinas has attracted a lot of attention. However, home devices are not the same as Valeda and are not authorised for treating AMD. Please do not shine lights into your eyes without professional advice.

Injections for late dry AMD

Two injection treatments for geographic atrophy have been approved in the United States. In the UK, the medicines regulator (MHRA) declined to approve the first of these, Syfovre, in January 2025, and they are not available on the NHS. Research continues, and the Macular Society keeps an up-to-date overview.

Eye exercises, "healing frequencies" and cure claims

There is no evidence that eye exercises, sound frequencies or special diets can reverse AMD. Be cautious of anything online that promises to cure it.

If you are supporting a parent or partner

Many of the enquiries we receive about macular degeneration come from family members. You are very welcome to come to an appointment together. Simple changes can make daily life easier too: brighter, well-directed lighting for reading, large-print settings on phones and tablets, and magnifiers. The Macular Society offers free support and advice for people with AMD and their families.

The bottom line

Dry AMD cannot be cured yet, but it is not a case of "nothing can be done". Stopping smoking, the right supplements at the right stage, a healthy diet, regular monitoring and, for suitable people, newer options such as Valeda can all play a part. The first step is knowing exactly what stage you are at.

This article is general information and not a substitute for an eye examination. If you are worried about your eyes, please book an appointment or seek urgent care if symptoms are sudden or severe.