Trends in Hawai'i Ophthalmologists' Recommendations to Patients for Prevention of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

The purpose of this study is to determine the current trends in recommendations made to patients by ophthalmologists in Hawai'i regarding the prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to compare these recommendations to preventative therapies described in the literature. A review of the literature was done to determine the preventative interventions that can be made to significantly lower the risk of developing AMD. An anonymous survey was sent to 95 ophthalmologists in clinical practice in Hawai'i in 2020. The survey assessed recommendations for the prevention of age-related macular degeneration. The 4 interventions assessed were avoidance of smoking, utilization of antioxidant vitamins called AREDS2, adherence to a Mediterranean diet, and maintaining a normal body mass index (BMI). Responses were received from 41 ophthalmologists were received. Overall, 100% of participants responded "yes" to recommending smoking cessation to their patients, 76% of participants recommended AREDS 2, 42% recommended a Mediterranean diet, and 37% of participants recommended maintaining a normal BMI. Smoking cessation or avoidance was universally recommended by the respondents, and 22% recommended all the assessed interventions. The survey results suggest that some interventions, such as maintaining a normal BMI and adopting a Mediterranean diet are not as widely implemented into ophthalmologists' recommendations compared to others, such as AREDS2 formulation vitamins and smoking cessation.