Macular Degeneration and Living at Higher Elevations

[Mountain_High]

I have a friend that was recently diagnosed with macular degeneration (wet) and they are also considering moving permanently to the mountains with an elevation of 7000 to 8000 ft or so. Can the decreased air pressure cause the condition to worsen? Are there any existing studies or literature I can point them to? Thanks.

[fed13]

Do the consultant ophthalmologists know?

[Carol_MacularSociety Partner]

Dear Mountain_High,

Our research department have said that the link between altitude and AMD is an interesting one related to the issues that being at high altitude brings.

Higher altitudes raise UV levels significantly (UV exposures increase 5% for every 1000 feet in elevation) and this in turn which accelerates AMD progression faster than any other part of the light spectrum. Glasses to block UV are recommended for this reason.

Oxygen levels decline with higher altitude and this can promote the growth of VEGF in wet AMD. See the second paragraph in this report:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Kind regards,

Carol

[Jihm]

I have lived in the mountain west of the US at 7,000 to 8,000 ft+. for 50 years. I am originally from sea level. I do have wet AMD. I don't know if there is a connection. But, I know that the high amount of UV rays received by our eyes at these high elevations make cataracts almost inevitable. And, yes I have cataracts as well, and COPD which is harder to deal with because of the low level of available oxygen in the air at these high elevations. Also, there is wood smoke in the air here pretty much year-round. People burn wood for heat in winter, and smoke from western wild fires pollute the air in summer. So, if people are moving to areas like this for health reasons, I'd suggest that might not be the best idea.