New Study Confirms the Efficacy of AREDS2 Eye Vitamin Supplement for Slowing Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Two major clinical trials—the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS) and AREDS2—have shown that taking vitamin and mineral supplements can slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Now, a long-term follow-up study offers the strongest findings to date that reaffirm the optimal supplement formula.

The first AREDS supplement formula tested contained beta-carotene, which was later found to increase the risk of lung cancer in people who smoked. In light of those findings, the AREDS2 formula replaces beta-carotene with the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.

Emily Chew, MD, director of the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Application at the National Eye Institute, led a research team that analyzed 10 years of AREDS2 data. The team concluded that the AREDS2 formula was more effective at reducing the risk of macular degeneration progression compared to the original formula – while also reducing the risk of lung cancer due to beta-carotene.

A report on the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was published in JAMA Ophthalmology. “These results confirmed that switching our formula from beta-carotene to lutein and zeaxanthin was the right choice,” Dr. Chew said in an NIH report on her research.

Learn more about AREDS2 Eye Vitamins: What They Do, Who Should Take Them & What the Research Shows.