Zinc oxide 80 mg or 25 mg:Zinc is a trace mineral, thought to play an important role in the function of the retina. Zinc depletion results in difficulty with adapting to night vision and other reduced functions of the retina. New blood vessel growth is medically known as “neovascularisation”. Neovascularisation can cause a lot of damage to your macula and can eventually lead to scarring. Both the new blood vessels and the scarring cause damage to your central vision and may lead to a blank patch in the centre of your sight. An optometrist or ophthalmologist may see “drusen” when they examine your retina. Drusen are small deposits under the retina, which they can see as yellow dots. Drusen can be present as a normal part of ageing and are not always a sign that someone has AMD. Be Proactive About Your Eye Health with VisuBright - The Comprehensive Solution for Proactive AMD Support. Some studies suggest very light cooking may increase the bioavailability of lutein; that is the ease with which the body can absorb the lutein.

Similarly, the daily dose of Vitamin C is only 80mg (versus 500mg in AREDS2), Zinc only 10mg (versus 25mg), and Copper only 0.5mg (versus 2mg). This is giving people false assurance because they think that they are taking an “AREDS2 supplement” but in reality they are not! One can only imagine that the makers of MacuXXXXX gives you less than that recommended in AREDS2 because it’s cheaper for them to make and can sell their product cheaply…and there are many other “AREDS2 supplements” like this! In the early stages of AMD, it is possible to have changes at the macula, which an optometrist or ophthalmologist can see when they examine your eye, but not have any problems with your sight.

A study published in the journal Ophthalmology , found that whilst all of the supplements studied contained the ingredients from the AREDS or AREDS2 formula, only 4 out of 11 (36%) contained equivalent doses of AREDS or AREDS2 ingredients. Delays also often occur at Easter because the depots are shut on Easter Monday & Good Friday and hence post builds up. Oxidants are thought to be partly responsible for the ageing process. In the eye they may contribute to the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by speeding up cell degeneration.

Another thing to consider is whether the supplement contain other ingredients NOT in the AREDS2 recommendations. Remember – only the AREDS and AREDS2 formula have been clinically proven to work. AREDS 2 (Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2) was a very large research study. It looked at taking vitamins and minerals daily for AMD. This study found that certain nutritional supplements could help some people who have a lot of drusen. These supplements may also lower risk of wet AMD and vision loss in the second eye of people who lost vision in one eye from AMD. Taking the following nutritional supplements every day may help these people lower their risk of getting late-stage or wet AMD: Zeaxanthin 2 mg: Zeaxanthin is also a carotenoid.The body does not produce its own zeaxanthin; it must obtain zeaxanthin from the diet as well. In the AREDS trial, the 80 mg zinc dose (alone or in combination with antioxidant vitamins) was found to be effective compared to a placebo. Although zinc was found to be an essential component of the AREDS formulation, some nutritional experts recommended a lower dose. In the AREDS2 trial, there was no placebo control. Instead, participants were given the option to take the original formula or to be randomly assigned to receive a modified version, such as a formula containing 25 mg zinc. The investigators did not find a difference in the effects of 80 mg vs. 25 mg zinc. Because AREDS2 did not include a placebo control, results from AREDS, placebo-controlled trial, are still considered the gold standard.

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Snyder Taggart M. Retinal pigment epithelium: The eye’s first line of defense against macular degeneration. Bright Focus Foundation. However, vitamin E can interact with some medications, including blood thinners, chemotherapeutic agents, and lipid-lowering drugs. NEI recommends consulting with a health care provider before taking vitamin E or other nutritional supplements. Overall the new formula did not seem to reduce the progression of AMD any more than the original. However, some people taking the new formula did show a greater benefit.