A.P.M. (Sheila) de Koning-Backus MSc, MA is a nutrigenomics epidemiologist and currently working on the subject ‘Nutrition and Lifestyle changes in relation to AMD’. Her research focuses on the Lifestyle Intervention Randomised Controlled Trial for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD-Life). AMD-Life aims to assess which regimens help increase implementation of a healthy lifestyle, adherence to the AMD-recommendations and investigates which biomarkers most represent lifestyle changes. In the cross-over pilot-study preceding the AMD-LIFE trail de Koning-Backus investigated the bio-availability of lutein and zeaxanthin comparing AREDS2 softgel capsules and an herbal tablet with Lutein Grape-seed and Blackberry extracts. She also addressed whether these compounds can be measured by finger prick-derived dried blood spots. (Manuscript in preparation). Previously she conducted the research on the effect of recommended minimum intake values (RMIV) of vegetables, fruit, and fish and the risk of AMD prospectively in the Rotterdam Study. In 2019 de Koning-Backus et al. published a book chapter on ‘Dietary patterns and Age-related Macular Degeneration’ in the Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and the Eye 2nd Edition.