AREDS 2 vitamins have been recommended for a long time and have been shown to reduce the likelihood of intermediate stage dry macular degeneration from becoming the “wet” form. The wet form is where bleeding of the retina occurs and often a series of injections need to be performed to clear it up.
AREDS 2 vitamins include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Copper, Zinc, Beta-carotene, Lutein and Zeaxanthin. They have to be formulated in certain concentrations to be effective. AREDs vitamins have ample availability at most drugstores. The trouble is that a lot of these companies do not have quality control, and so the vitamins are often not bioavailable.
There are several companies that make a very high quality, professional grade macular supplement that is a great option for patients requiring the AREDS 2 formula. My favorites at the time that I’m writing this is Physician Recommended Nutraceuticals / PRN numaqula and Science Based Health Macular Complete. The Macular Complete formula also replaces a multivitamin. There is also some evidence that a high quality omega-3 can benefit macular health. Again, these formulations are known to help those who have intermediate ARMD or higher.
Options to protect against Macular Degeneration / ARMD:
These companies also make formulations for those of us who have a gene for macular degeneration but don’t show signs of drusen yet OR have the mild version of macular degeneration. They DO have publications to back up these claims. Physician Recommended Nutriceuticals / PRN has the numaqula omega-3 formulation and Science Based Health has their Ocular Protect formula. The Ocular Protect formula also replaces a multivitamin.