News and Events

NEI Statement

Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Wine Consumption

National Eye Institute
National Institutes of Health

Researchers reported in this month’s Journal of the American Geriatrics Societythat people who drink wine in moderation may be less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This disease is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, and one that will become more prevalent as the population ages.

This finding was based on an analysis of data collected between 1971 and 1975 for the National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES-1) from 3,072 adults 45 to 74 years of age with eye-related changes that indicated AMD.

We believe that it would be premature to make any recommendations based on this single study. While this is an interesting finding that bears further investigation, the authors warn that the study should not be used to “draw inferences about a cause and effect relationship.” It also should be noted that later studies have found no such relationship between AMD and wine drinking, and that the findings reported are of borderline significance.

We agree with the author’s concerns about the reliability of the data indicating the amount of alcohol consumed, as these data are often subject to recall bias. In addition, the study did not completely take into account possible confounding factors, especially smoking. Many studies show that smoking is a risk factor for AMD. Since there is generally more smoking among alcohol users, smoking status should be taken into account in the analyses.

We question, too, the reliability of the diagnosis of AMD in those surveyed. The methods used now to diagnose AMD in large studies have been improved and are quite different than those used in the early 1970’s.

The National Eye Institute, one of the Federal government’s National Institutes of Health, is involved in an intense research effort using a variety of approaches to find the cause and eventually develop a cure for macular degeneration.

May 1998