Sponsored by
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Wednesday, October 22
3-3:50pm
Location: Casanova 603
The Protective Role of Carotenoids in the Human Eye: Insights from Japanese Quail and Asian Silkworms
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of
irreversible visual loss in the elderly in the developed world. Although
treatments for this devastating disorder have improved dramatically in
the past decade, prevention is still a key public health strategy.
Seminal epidemiological studies have indicated that diets rich in lutein
and zeaxanthin are protective against AMD, and the National Eye
Institute is now testing lutein and zeaxanthin supplements in thousands
of high-risk AMD patients in the AREDS 2 clinical trial. This session
will review the clinical evidence underlying the current recommendations
for lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation for AMD and will provide an
overview of the basic science and clinical studies elucidating the
uptake, metabolism and physiology of the macular carotenoids in the
human eye.
Speaker:
 Paul S. Bernstein, M.D., Ph.D.,
the Mary Boesche Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the
Moran Eye Center of the University of Utah School of Medicine, is an
internationally recognized expert on nutritional interventions against
age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness
in the elderly. For the past 15 years, Dr. Bernstein has focused on the
biochemical mechanisms underlying the protective roles of zeaxanthin and
lutein against AMD. His laboratory has isolated and identified the
specific binding proteins responsible for their uptake into the eye,
characterized their protective mechanisms of action, and developed
noninvasive methods for nutritional assessment in the eye and skin. He
is also a principal investigator for the National Eye Institute’s
multi-center AREDS 2 clinical trial studying the next generation of
carotenoid and omega-3 fatty acid supplements for AMD.
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