Melatonin supplements may reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration , the most common cause of severe vision loss in people over age 50.
The former group had to have reported to their doctor that they were taking melatonin at least four times within the 15-year window, with a minimum three-month gap between these reports. In the U.S., melatonin is considered to be a dietary supplement, so it can be purchased without a prescription. Although it revealed an interesting link, the study has some major caveats.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.But even so, the research, published June 6 in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, hints that melatonin could potentially help ward off a very common form of vision loss. Two major types of AMD exist: dry AMD and wet AMD. Dry AMD is the milder form of the disease that occurs in 80% of cases, and it's caused by the gradual breakdown of light-sensitive cells in the macula. Wet AMD additionally involves the abnormal growth of blood vessels under the retina, and these blood vessels can begin to leak fluid, damaging cells and leading to severe vision loss. Between 10% and 15% of patients with dry AMD will go on to develop wet AMD.
Because the study looked at only associations between melatonin and AMD, it cannot prove that melatonin directly counters the biological processes behind the condition. The authors also acknowledge that people's lifestyle habits and health care access may have influenced their risk of AMD, rather than melatonin, but they didn't consider these factors.