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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Sociology

LSU Master's Theses

Theses/Dissertations

2012

Macular degeneration

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Pregnancy And The Relationship To Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Ann Hardin Shaw Jan 2012

Pregnancy And The Relationship To Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Ann Hardin Shaw

LSU Master's Theses

The Macular Study was a case control study that evaluated if parity and other participant characteristics predicted the diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Women, compared to men, are at higher risk for AMD. AMD is one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly population [1]. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) is a long-chain fatty acid that is essential for the structure and function of the eye. During pregnancy the growing fetus depletes the maternal stores of DHA through placental transfer. The fetus needs an ample supply of DHA for proper retinal and central nervous system development. To date …