Macular degeneration can be reversed! It involves some exercises, and an electric device. Dr. Edward Kondrot wrote two books I read a year or two ago, "Miracle Eye Cure?: Microcurrent Stimulation" and "Healing the Eye the Natural Way: Alternate Medicine and Macular Degeneration". Great stuff in them.
As you said, eyes can take a lot of stress but it does add up; doing these exercises when young can help your eyes last longer.
"when young"... A LOT of things which many of us, the older ones, didn't consider when we had age on our side. Myself included of course. Had taken all those things for granted, like they "would always remain the same". So we did essentially nothing. Or not near adequate.
Well, regret won't help to wind back the clock. The next best thing to do is to try preserve and improve what that I can do.