Future AREDS study will investigate additional supplements

NEW ORLEANS — A study set to begin recruiting patients in early 2005 will investigate the potential benefits of lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration, said Johanna M. Seddon, MD, ScM.

“The trial is similar to the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) study, which found that a high-dose combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and zinc significantly lowered patients’ risk of developing severe AMD,” Dr. Seddon said during a press event at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

Dr. Seddon told Ocular Surgery News that the AREDS researchers will test whether supplements containing the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin (found in green leafy vegetables) and omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish) can reduce the risk of developing wet AMD.

“These compounds aid in preventative health, so we are doing a second study to investigate that benefit,” Dr. Seddon said. She stressed the importance of trials that focus on preventative therapy for AMD, because “there hasn’t been enough emphasis on prevention.”

The follow-up to the AREDS study, sponsored by the National Eye Institute, will be led by Frederick Ferris, MD, lead investigator of AREDS and clinical director at the NEI. Patients will be randomized into three study arms, receiving either a lutein supplement, an omega-3 fatty acid supplement or a lutein and zeaxanthin supplement. Patients will be further randomized either to receive or not to receive the AREDS formulation with their experimental supplement, Dr. Seddon said.