Methods of retarding formation of a lipofuscin pigment in the retina and of treating or ameliorating the effects of a disease characterized by an accumulation of a lipofuscin pigment in a retina are provided. These methods include the step of administering to a patient in need thereof a substituted C 20 -retinoid in an amount sufficient to reduce accumulation of a lipofuscin pigment in the retina. Further provided are methods of retarding formation of A2E and/or ATR-dimer by replacing an all-trans-retinal (ATR) substrate with a C 20 -D 3 -retinal substrate under conditions sufficient to impede the formation of A2E. Compositions for retarding formation of a lipofuscin pigment in the retina containing a substituted C 20 -retinoid and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier are also provided.
