Amount in Cart: $0.00
"Ophthalmologists #1 recommended treatment for reducing the progression of Age related Macular Degeneration is the AREDS formulation found in Stabileyes Vitamins."
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are These High Levels of Antioxidants and Zinc Right For You?
- Who Should Take the AREDS Formulation?
- Can I Take a Daily Multivitamin if I Am Taking the AREDS Formulation?
- Can a Daily Multivitamin Alone Provide the Same High Levels of Antioxidants and Zinc as the AREDS Formulation?
- Will Taking the AREDS Formulation Prevent a Person from Developing AMD?
- Are Former Smokers at an Increased Risk for Developing Lung Cancer if They Take High Doses of Beta-Carotene?
- Where Can I Obtain More Information?
The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) - sponsored by the Federal government's National Eye Institute - has found that taking high levels of antioxidants and zinc can reduce the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by about 25 percent.
This major clinical trial closely followed about 3,600 participants with varying stages of AMD. The results showed that the AREDS formulation, while not a cure for AMD, may play a key role in helping people at high risk for developing advanced AMD keep their remaining vision.
Who Should Take the AREDS Formulation?
People who are at high risk for developing advanced AMD should consider taking the
combination of nutrients used in the study. Your eye care professional can tell you if you
have AMD and are at risk for developing the advanced form of the disease. The doctor
should give you a dilated eye exam in which drops are placed in your eyes. This allows
for a careful examination of the inside of the eye to look for signs of AMD.
Before taking these high levels of vitamins and minerals, you should talk with your doctor
about the risk of developing advanced AMD and whether taking the AREDS formulation
is right for you
Can I Take a Daily Multivitamin if I Am Taking the AREDS Formulation?
Yes. A daily multivitamin contains many important nutrients not found in the AREDS
formulation. For example, elderly people with osteoporosis need to be particularly
concerned about taking vitamin D, which is not in the AREDS formulation. The AREDS
formulation is not a substitute for a multivitamin. In the Age-Related Eye Disease Study,
two-thirds of the study participants took multivitamins along with the AREDS formulation.
If you are already taking daily multivitamins and your doctor suggests you take the AREDS
formulation, be sure to review all your vitamins with your doctor before you begin.
Can a Daily Multivitamin Alone Provide the Same High Levels of Antioxidants and Zinc as the AREDS Formulation?
No. The AREDS formulation's levels of antioxidants and zinc are considerably
higher than the amounts in any daily multivitamin.
Will Taking the AREDS Formulation Prevent a Person from Developing AMD?
No. There is no known treatment that can prevent the development of AMD. The study
did not show that the AREDS formulation prevented people from developing early signs
of AMD. No recommendation has been made for taking the AREDS formulation to
prevent early AMD.
Taking the formulation reduced the rate of advanced AMD in people at high risk by about 25 percent over a 6-year period. We do not know if this treatment effect will persist over a longer period. However, by continuing to follow the AREDS participants, we hope to find out if the treatment effect will last longer than six years.
Are Former Smokers at an Increased Risk for Developing Lung Cancer if They Take High Doses of Beta-Carotene?
In deciding whether to include beta-carotene in a formulation designed to slow the
development of advanced AMD, you and your doctor should balance the apparent increase
in the risk of lung cancer associated with beta-carotene with the risk of AMD progression.
Where Can I Obtain More Information?
For more information, contact your eye care professional or the National Eye Institute at
301-496-5248 or visit the NEI website at www.nei.nih.gov.