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A 70-year-old reader from Brighton was told by his optician that his retina showed early signs of macular degeneration. The reader was recommended to take a mixture of vitamins and minerals as a supplement to delay the progress ofdegeneration. Is this good advice?

It is good advice. But although this reader should follow his optician’s recommendations he shouldn’t be unduly alarmed, even though macular degeneration is the most common cause of loss of sight in the over-60s. Most people over 70 show some signs of early, dry macular degeneration of the retina. The macula is the yellowish spot that contains maximum density of photosensitive nerves.

As the Bible and Shakespeare remind us, the eye degenerates with age just as surely as a head of hair, teeth, joints and spine. The usual advice given is that, provided there is no significant loss of sight associated with the early signs of macular degeneration, it is unlikely to be clinically important. It is likely that the reader will continue to enjoy the seascapes of Brighton.

Routine precautions should include regular monitoring, giving up smoking, controlling cholesterol levels and adopting a diet rich in fruit and vegetables such as peppers, broccoli and sweetcorn as well as omega3 enriched eggs. The influence of supplements of vitamin A, C and E, zinc, copper and lutein was found to be effective by the US National Eye Institute. Vitamin A shouldn’t be taken by smokers. My optician, who holds the Royal Warrant, prescribes Bausch and Lomb’s PreserVision, which doesn’t include vitamin A, or Ocuvite PreserVision. High doses of vitamins are necessary to be effective.

The retina is the layer at the back of the eye that contains the light-sensitive cells that convert an image focused on it by the lens of the eye into electrical nerve impulses. These impulses, known as nerve signals, are transmitted by the optic nerve to the nerve centre at the back of the brain that interprets them.

Macular degeneration initially distorts vision but later causes the progressive loss of central sight. There are two types. The dry form, which accounts for 90 per cent of cases, is the less serious, patchy deterioration of the macula resulting from inadequate nourishment. In the wet form there is a proliferation of blood vessels in the macula. These are fragile, and may bleed or leak so that the macula becomes sodden. The loss of sight may be relatively sudden but treatments are available.

Send your questions about current health problems to drstuttaford@thetimes.co.uk or to times2, The Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TT