A recent study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that taking a daily supplement containing antioxidant vitamins and minerals can slow the progression of late-stage dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
This finding offers hope for people with late-stage AMD in preserving their central vision.
The study, published in the journal Ophthalmology, involved a detailed analysis of retinal scans from participants in two major studies: the Age-Related Eye Diseases Studies (AREDS and AREDS2).
The researchers discovered that for individuals with late-stage dry AMD, these antioxidant supplements could slow the expansion of damaged areas in the retina, specifically the regions of geographic atrophy that move towards the central part of the retina known as the fovea.
“We’ve known for a long time that AREDS2 supplements help slow the progression from intermediate to late AMD.
Our analysis shows that taking AREDS2 supplements can also slow disease progression in people with late dry AMD,” said Dr. Tiarnan Keenan from the NIH’s National Eye Institute (NEI) and lead author of the study.
“These findings support the continued use of AREDS2 supplements by people with late dry AMD.”
The researchers examined the retinal scans of 318 participants (392 eyes) from the original AREDS trial and 891 participants (1,210 eyes) from the AREDS2 trial who developed dry AMD.
They focused on the location and rate of expansion of geographic atrophy, a condition where regions of the retina progressively lose light-sensitive cells, leading to vision loss.
The study found that for individuals who developed geographic atrophy away from the central fovea, the supplements significantly slowed the expansion towards the fovea by approximately 55% over an average of three years.
However, for those whose geographic atrophy was already affecting their central vision, the supplements provided little benefit.
In early and intermediate stages of AMD, small yellow deposits of fatty proteins called drusen form in the retina. As the disease progresses to its late stages, patients can develop either leaky blood vessels (wet AMD) or lose regions of light-sensitive cells (dry AMD).
Geographic atrophy in these regions slowly expands over time, causing a gradual loss of central vision.
The original AREDS trial found that a supplement containing antioxidants (vitamin C, E, and beta-carotene), zinc, and copper could slow the progression from intermediate to late-stage AMD.
The subsequent AREDS2 trial improved this formula by replacing beta-carotene with lutein and zeaxanthin, which enhanced its effectiveness and reduced certain risks. At the time, neither trial detected benefits for individuals who had already developed late-stage disease.
However, the original analysis did not consider “foveal sparing,” a phenomenon in dry AMD where geographic atrophy initially develops outside the foveal region. People only lose their central vision when this atrophy expands into the fovea.
“Our high acuity central vision is essential for tasks like reading and driving. Given that there are few therapeutic options for people with late-stage dry AMD to retain or restore their vision, antioxidant supplementation is a simple step that may slow central vision loss, even for those with late disease,” Keenan said.
“We plan to confirm these findings in a dedicated clinical trial in the near future.”
This new analysis highlights the potential of AREDS2 supplements to provide a simple and effective strategy to help preserve central vision in people with late-stage dry AMD.
As the researchers plan further clinical trials, these findings offer a promising avenue for managing a condition that currently has limited treatment options.
If you care about eye health, please read studies about how vitamin B may help fight vision loss, and MIND diet may reduce risk of vision loss disease.
For more information about eye disease, please see recent studies about how to protect your eyes from glaucoma, and results showing this eye surgery may reduce dementia risk.
The findings can be found in Ophthalmology.
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