The Impact of Supplemental Antioxidants on Visual Function in Nonadvanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Head-to-Head Randomized Clinical Trial.

Study answer

What this study found

Both antioxidant/carotenoid regimens improved macular pigment and several measures of visual function over 24 months, but adding mesozeaxanthin did not confer extra benefit over the AREDS2-based formulation. For the primary outcome, letter contrast sensitivity at 6 cycles per degree increased slightly in both groups (1.53 to 1.57 and 1.58 to 1.61), with a significant time effect (P = 0.013) and no between-group difference (time-by-group P = 0.881). Several secondary outcomes also improved over time, including contrast sensitivity at other frequencies, mesopic and photopic measures,…

Study & population

This was a 2-year head-to-head randomized clinical trial in adults with nonadvanced age-related macular degeneration conducted in Waterford, Ireland.

Intervention

Adults with nonadvanced age-related macular degeneration received one of two oral antioxidant/carotenoid regimens daily for 24 months.

Key limitation

The active-arm sample sizes were modest and the trial was single-center, which limits precision and generalizability.

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Original abstract