Macular degeneration treatment, nutritional supplements 1-800-980-6551
Nutritional supplements for age-related macular degeneration.

AREDS Trial Study


Macular Health has specific dosages of its ingredients to maximize effectiveness while limiting toxicity. Macular Health contains 10,000 IU's of Vitamin A (in the form of Beta-carotene), which we believe to be an adequate dose to protect the macula. Excessive doses of Vitamin A can cause liver damage. Vitamin A is absorbed in the fatty tissues such as the liver and long-term high doses could potentially cause liver toxicity.

Macular Health contains 55mg of Zinc as this has been shown to decrease vision loss from macular degeneration. The AREDS Study patients were actually only obtaining 50-55 mg of Zinc when the shelf life of pills and the amount of pills actually taken were evaluated. We believe 80 mg of zinc is too high and many of our patients cannot tolerate this high dose due to gastrointestinal side affects and urinary tract infections, which may develop. Macular Health contains zeaxanthin, bilberry and lutein in dosages, which are high enough to protect the macula. Most competitor brands, if they contain these macular nutrients have them only in limited quantities. There is no known toxicity to high dose lutein, zeaxanthin or bilberry .

AREDS STUDY

The Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) was a national trial sponsored by the National Eye Institute, one of the federal governments National Institutes of Health. This trial found that high levels of antioxidants and zinc reduced the risk of advanced Age Related Macular Degeneration by about twenty five percent. The same nutrients also reduced the risk of vision loss caused by advanced macular degeneration by about nineteen percent. The majority of the reduction of vision loss and advanced macular degeneration was due to zinc.

The specific daily amounts per tablet were:
  1. 125mg Vitamin C
  2. 100 IU Vitamin E
  3. 7160 IU Vitamin A
  4. 17.4mg of Zinc as Zinc oxide
  5. 2mg of copper

The AREDS study was published in 2001 and the article stated that there was a range in the dosages of antioxidants and Zinc as listed above due to loss of potency of the vitamin tablets due to shelf time and the variability of the number of tablets taken per day. The American Academy of Ophthalmology now recommends (based on the AREDS study) that patients with significant Macular Degeneration take nutritional supplements as listed in the AREDS study to reduce the risk of vision loss.


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