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Ocular nutritional supplements lack evidence in AREDS formula claims
An analysis of the top-selling brands of ocular nutritional supplements found they contain the same ingredients as in the AREDS and AREDS2 formulas, but not all contained the exact doses.
Furthermore, product description claims of health benefits for half of the products studied lacked supporting level 1 evidence.
The study analyzed the industry’s five top-selling brands of ocular nutritional supplements in the U.S. according to dollar sales from June 2011 to June 2012: PreserVision (Bausch + Lomb), Ocuvite (Bausch + Lomb), ICaps (Alcon), ICaps AREDS (Alcon) and EyeScience Macular Health Formula (EyeScience). The analysis reviewed 11 products of the five brands, including their ingredients and manufacturer claims. Three supplements contained the exact Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) formulation, and one supplement contained the exact AREDS2 formulation.
Six of the 11 consumer information websites for the supplements contained some information regarding AREDS or AREDS2. Four product descriptions stated that the supplements “were important to maintain general eye health,” while all of the supplements claimed to “support,” “protect,” “help” or “promote” vision and eye health, according to the study.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.