Best Vision Care Supplements for Eye Health and Clarity

Vision care supplements include antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients specifically formulated to support your vision and long-term eye health. Some of the common nutrients added are vitamins A, C, & E: These three Essential vitamins have been shown to help protect your eyes from harmful free radicals and help slow down the degeneration of your vision. Zinc is an essential mineral for your eyes, helping protect your macula. Zinc helps your body absorb vitamin A and also helps many antioxidant enzymes in your body, reducing the number of free radicals.

Vision Care Supplements That Deliver Protection

Lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin are potent antioxidants that protect your eyes from oxidative stress, harmful blue light, and free radical damage, and they keep the macula healthy.   These three antioxidants have been extensively studied and shown to help keep your eyes healthy and protected from age-related degeneration. Lutein and Zeaxanthin also help reduce eye fatigue and glare/ light sensitivity. Taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement can help fill in the nutritional gaps in a less-than-optimal diet. It may help protect you from degenerative diseases, including eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts.

AREDS Studies Confirmed The Benefits of Vision Care Supplementation

Two of the most influential studies on the benefits of vision care supplements are the AREDS and AREDS2 studies, both of which were sponsored by the National Eye Institute. (AREDS is an acronym for “Age-Related Eye Disease Study.”).

The Original AREDS Study

Results of the original AREDS were published in 2001. They demonstrated that the antioxidant vision care supplements used in the study reduced the risk of AMD progression to advanced stages among individuals at high risk of vision loss from macular degeneration by approximately 25 percent. Also, in the same high-risk group, which included participants with intermediate or advanced AMD in one eye but not the other, the daily multivitamin reduced the risk of vision loss from advanced AMD by about 19 percent.

AREDS 2 Improved The Vision Care Supplement Formula

The AREDS2 study refined the original formula and recommended several key updates to enhance its effectiveness and safety.

• The research team substituted lutein and zeaxanthin for beta-carotene in their study:
  The researchers added 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin to the original AREDS formula to protect participants who consumed low amounts of these carotenoids from developing advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
• The researchers took beta-carotene out of the formula:
  The researchers advised scientists to replace beta-carotene with lutein and zeaxanthin because beta-carotene caused lung cancer in smokers who were active or had quit smoking.
• The research results showed that omega-3 fatty acids did not provide additional protection beyond the standard formula for AMD.
• The research showed that using 25 mg of zinc instead of 80 mg provided equal protection, suggesting that higher doses might not be necessary for effective results.
• The research confirmed that the AREDS2 formula, comprising vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper, lutein, and zeaxanthin, provided 25% protection against progression to advanced AMD in participants with intermediate or advanced AMD in one eye.

Further Research

Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group. (2001). A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose supplementation with vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and zinc for age-related macular degeneration and vision loss: AREDS report no. 8. Archives of Ophthalmology, 119(10), 1417–1436.
https://doi.org/10.1001/archopht.119.10.1417

Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 Research Group. (2013). Lutein + zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids for age-related macular degeneration: The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 309(19), 2005–2015.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.4997

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Medical Disclaimer: The information on this website is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The content should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, health program, or lifestyle change, especially if you have existing medical conditions or are taking medications.