What You Should Know About The Age Related Eye Disease Study

Are you wondering if you should take macular degeneration vitamins... and if so which ones? Like many others you may be confused about all the different makes and formulas that are available. Walk into any drugstore and you will find as many eye vitamin choices as there are cereal choices.

What is the Age Related Eye Disease Study?

The Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) is perhaps the most important study when it comes to vitamins for macular degeneration. Eleven eye centers followed 3,640 participants for a period of about six years in a double blind clinical trial. The sponsor, the U.S. Federal government's National Eye Institute provided these AREDS results:

"taking high levels of antioxidants and zinc can reduce the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by about 25 percent."

"the AREDS formulation, while not a cure for AMD, may play a key role in helping people at high risk for developing advanced AMD keep their remaining vision."

Who Benefits?

The group that benefited by reducing their risk of macular degeneration progression were those people who had:

1. At least one large druse,

2. Several intermediate-size drusen,

3. Noncentral geographic atrophy in one or both eyes, or

4. Advanced AMD with vision loss due to AMD in ony one eye.

Even though these vitamins for macular degeneration are readily available in drugstores, grocery stores or on-line the Review of Ophthalmology reported in their 8/08/2007 issue:

"If all of the people in the United States who are candidates for this supplementation were to receive it, more than 300,000 individuals could have avoided advanced AMD and its associated vision loss during the five years after the report was published."

What Prevents People from Taking AREDS Vitamins?

The first is awareness. Perhaps the eye doctor never mentioned it or if he did, he didn't write down the recommended brand or name. Many people get confused by the many different brands and formulas that are available and rather than buy the "wrong" one they don't get started on any at all.

Compliance is always an issue whether it is for a prescription drug or eye supplements. Many people don't take the recommended supplements daily or if they do, many do not take the recommended dosage. Perhaps they remember the morning supplement, but forget to take the evening one.

Talk to your eye doctor to find out if you should be taking AREDS vitamins and if so which formula. Have him/her write down the specific brand name and how many to take each day.

To learn more about what antioxidants and minerals are included in AREDS Vitamins and the one that was actually used in the study go to:

Age Related Eye Disease Study

Thanks so much for subscribing to Macular Degeneration News.

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN

Better Health for Better Vision

www.WebRN-MacularDegeneration.com

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