UAB Media Relations
Researchers in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology are participating in a nationwide study to determine whether a modified combination of vitamins, minerals and fish oil can further slow the progression of vision loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss in the United States for people over age 60.
The National Eye Institute-funded study, called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), will build upon results from the earlier Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). Results from the original study, released five years ago, found high-dose antioxidant vitamins and minerals (vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc and copper), taken by mouth, reduced the risk of progression to advanced AMD by 25 percent, and the risk of moderate vision loss by 19 percent.
“AREDS2 will refine the findings of the original study by adding plant-derivatives lutein and zeaxanthin, and the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, derived from fish and vegetable oils, to the study formulation,” said Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology and director of the UAB Clinical Research Unit in the Department of Ophthalmology. “The main objective is to determine whether these nutrients will decrease a person’s risk of progression to advanced AMD, which often leads to vision loss. Previous observational studies have suggested these nutrients may protect vision.”
“Nearly two million Americans have vision loss from advanced AMD, and another seven million with AMD are at substantial risk for vision loss,” said Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Eye Institute, one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“In the AREDS study we found a combination of vitamins and minerals that effectively slowed the progression of AMD for some people. Now, we will conduct this more precisely targeted study to see if the new combination of nutrients can reduce AMD progression even further,” Sieving said.
AMD damages the macula. As the disease progresses, it blurs the patient’s central vision. AMD can take two forms, wet and dry. Wet AMD is caused by the abnormal growth of blood vessels under the macula. This leads to rapid loss of central vision. Wet AMD is considered to be advanced AMD and is more severe than the dry form. Dry AMD, the more common form, occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down. Untreated dry AMD can progress into wet AMD.
The AREDS2 study is seeking people between 50 and 85 years of age with AMD in both eyes or advanced AMD in one eye. They must be available for yearly eye examinations for at least five years. Until the results of AREDS2 are available, Owsley said people with AMD are encouraged to visit their ophthalmologist to find out whether they need to take the AREDS vitamin and mineral formulation.
Individuals interested in participating in the AREDS2 trial should contact the UAB Department of Ophthalmology at 205-325-8527 or kallika@uab.edu.