The Role of Vitamin D in Retinal Diseases in Aging

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The number of aging individuals with the vision threatening diseases of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age- related macular degeneration (AMD) is projected to increase in the coming decades as the aging population of the United States grows. Identifying new modifiable factors that prevent or delay vision threatening disease is significant because it will reduce the burden of health care costs for treatment of such chronic diseases and extend the years that the elderly can be independent and participate in such vision dependent activities as driving, reading, exercise, and food preparation. Vitamin D deficiency and inadequacy is prevalent in a large portion of the aging US population, and vitamin D has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti- angiogenic properties, in addition to potentially modulating blood pressure and glucose control. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to better understand the role of vitamin D status in retinal diseases highly prevalent in aging individuals. Minimal research has investigated the association between vitamin D status and DR; although a strong biologic rationale supports vitamin D status as a potential modifiable risk factor for DR development and progression. At the same time, research in two large epidemiologic studies show that people with vitamin D deficiency or inadequacy (25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)