Vitamin D is important for your vision health and can help prevent certain conditions affecting the eyes, including macular degeneration.

Vitamin D is a vital nutrient for many areas of your health, including your eyes.

Your skin makes vitamin D after sun exposure and you can also get it through food or vitamin supplements.

There are very few natural food sources for vitamin D, so it’s important to know how much you need and how to ensure you’re getting enough.

Macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in adults. It typically affects older adults.

This article explores vitamin D’s effects on eye health, whether it can help treat or prevent macular degeneration, and what other treatments exist for this progressive eye condition.

It’s possible that having adequate vitamin levels in your body may help prevent or slow macular degeneration. This may be because macular degeneration is associated with oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress refers to damage caused by having an imbalance in the body between unstable molecules and the antioxidants that neutralize them. Too much oxidative stress can cause damage to cells in your body, including those responsible for vision.

Vitamin D has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may help offset the oxidative stress that causes macular degeneration.

Vitamin D is made mostly in the skin after sun exposure. It helps move vital nutrients and minerals throughout the body. Vitamin D can also help with wound healing and support tissue health.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause a number of health conditions.

Some studies suggest having a vitamin D deficiency may be associated with a higher chance of macular degeneration. However, not all studies show this link.

Healthcare professionals don’t consider vitamin D supplementation a treatment for this macular degeneration.

There is no cure for macular degeneration, but there are steps you can take to help prevent or slow the progression of this condition.

If you have a vitamin D deficiency, supplementing your diet can help. But those supplements likely won’t completely prevent macular degeneration if you have other risk factors.

Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to other eye conditions, like:

Like other tissues throughout your body, nutrients like vitamin D help support body functions, including eye health. Other nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that play an important role in eye health include:

You can take other steps to reduce your chance of developing age-related macular degeneration:

  • protecting your eyes from ultraviolet rays or trauma
  • wearing UV-blocking sunglasses and eye protection when possible
  • having your eyes examined regularly by a health professional
  • knowing your family eye history, and whether you have relatives with macular degeneration
  • quitting smoking, if you smoke
  • maintaining a balanced meal plan with nutritious foods

There is no cure for age-related macular degeneration, but some treatments and medications can help slow or stop the progression of vision loss.

Supplementation with various vitamins and minerals, such as the AREDS 2 formulation, in the early stages of macular degeneration may help slow vision loss.

Other treatments involve laser therapies or injected medications called anti-VEGF drugs. These treatments usually treat wet age-related macular degeneration, but there are also injections for geographic atrophy, an advanced stage of dry macular degeneration.

Vitamin and mineral supplementation is one of the first measures a healthcare professional may recommend if you have a high chance of developing or are in the early stages of macular degeneration.

There is no cure for macular degeneration.

But making sure your diet contains adequate amounts of vital nutrients like vitamin D can help support your health in many ways, including supporting your vision.

You can consult a healthcare professional about testing your vitamin D level and supplementation.