AREDS II is the second of two age-related eye disease studies designed to look at the effect of nutrients on eyesight. During the first study, which was completed in 2001, researchers found that antioxidants in high levels reduced the chance of blindness. Unfortunately, the formulation studied had some problems. The second study was designed to address these problems.
Eye diseases are some of the most debilitating. Almost a million people in the United States are blind and around 90% of these are elderly. There are several different reasons someone might end up with an eye disease. Some people are born blind due to defects during the gestation period. Others are caused by diabetes or eye injury. However, most appear to be associated with aging, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.
Most treatments that exist today are only good for a limited range of eye diseases and have limited efficacy. One of the most common currently available treatments is laser surgery; while it has been shown to reduce the risks of blindness, the surgery is very costly and could even result in complications. Although not usually severe, the side effects are quite common; some of these include loss of peripheral vision, reduced night vision, worsening visual acuity, and even hemorrhaging.
AREDS, the initial Age-Related Eye Disease Study was finished and released in 2001. This study was begun to review risk factors and history associated with cataracts and AMD. Another purpose was to analyze whether higher doses of antioxidants might affect AMD or cataracts. They looked at a combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and beta-carotene.
The research team found that antioxidants in high doses could lessen the chance of blindness. For high risk individuals, such as those with AMD in one of their eyes or intermediate in both, it brought down the risk nearly 25 percent. One of the ingredients in the initial combination was beta-carotene. Later studies showed that beta-carotene increased the possibility of lung cancer in smokers. They also discovered that it had no effect on the incidence of cataracts.
The second study, completed in May 2013, had several interesting findings. One of their goals was to attempt to find a substitute for beta-carotene in the original formula. They found that the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin could be substituted for beta-carotene without reducing the effectiveness of this formula. People at high risk for developing advanced AMD should consider taking the antioxidant combination to reduce their chance of blindness.
A lot of the elderly are already on various prescriptions. In addition to this they may use over-the-counter drugs or supplements. The high-dose supplements in this combination could interfere or cause some of these medications to lose their effectiveness.
Laser surgery has definite benefits but is expensive and can cause serious complications. An alternative may be the combination formulated by the researchers in the AREDS II study. They found that high levels of antioxidants, combined with vitamins and zinc, reduced AMD risk. They also discovered that zeaxanthin and lutein were adequate substitutes for beta-carotene, while not reducing the beneficial properties. Before you start any new medicines you should consult your physician.
Eye diseases are some of the most debilitating. Almost a million people in the United States are blind and around 90% of these are elderly. There are several different reasons someone might end up with an eye disease. Some people are born blind due to defects during the gestation period. Others are caused by diabetes or eye injury. However, most appear to be associated with aging, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.
Most treatments that exist today are only good for a limited range of eye diseases and have limited efficacy. One of the most common currently available treatments is laser surgery; while it has been shown to reduce the risks of blindness, the surgery is very costly and could even result in complications. Although not usually severe, the side effects are quite common; some of these include loss of peripheral vision, reduced night vision, worsening visual acuity, and even hemorrhaging.
AREDS, the initial Age-Related Eye Disease Study was finished and released in 2001. This study was begun to review risk factors and history associated with cataracts and AMD. Another purpose was to analyze whether higher doses of antioxidants might affect AMD or cataracts. They looked at a combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and beta-carotene.
The research team found that antioxidants in high doses could lessen the chance of blindness. For high risk individuals, such as those with AMD in one of their eyes or intermediate in both, it brought down the risk nearly 25 percent. One of the ingredients in the initial combination was beta-carotene. Later studies showed that beta-carotene increased the possibility of lung cancer in smokers. They also discovered that it had no effect on the incidence of cataracts.
The second study, completed in May 2013, had several interesting findings. One of their goals was to attempt to find a substitute for beta-carotene in the original formula. They found that the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin could be substituted for beta-carotene without reducing the effectiveness of this formula. People at high risk for developing advanced AMD should consider taking the antioxidant combination to reduce their chance of blindness.
A lot of the elderly are already on various prescriptions. In addition to this they may use over-the-counter drugs or supplements. The high-dose supplements in this combination could interfere or cause some of these medications to lose their effectiveness.
Laser surgery has definite benefits but is expensive and can cause serious complications. An alternative may be the combination formulated by the researchers in the AREDS II study. They found that high levels of antioxidants, combined with vitamins and zinc, reduced AMD risk. They also discovered that zeaxanthin and lutein were adequate substitutes for beta-carotene, while not reducing the beneficial properties. Before you start any new medicines you should consult your physician.
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