AMD Study Kicks Off in Ireland

WATERFORD, IrelandA national trial in Ireland is seeking to determine whether a specialty dietary supplement with a combination of carotenoids can preserve and enhance vision in patients with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Coordinated by the Macular Pigment Research Group (MPRG), Waterford Institute of Technology, and the Institute of Vision Research (IVR), Whitfield Clinic, the 12-month double blind trial will include 60 patients diagnosed with early AMD. The intervention includes either 10 mg meso-zeaxanthin, 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin (as Macushield, from Macuvision Europe); or 10 mg lutein plus 1 mg zeaxanthin. Researchers will watch changes in macular pigment optical density as well as changes in serum concentrations of the three carotenoids, and determine whether macular pigment augmentation enhances visual performance in the subjects.

The aim of the trial is to identify which dietary supplements work best to increase the patients macular pigment level, said John Nolan, Ph.D., the director of IVR and deputy director of the MPRG. Using highly specialized and unique technology, the researchers will closely monitor the patients progress and their response to the dietary supplement over a twelve-month period. The research assessment will consist of a series of non-invasive but highly specialized eye tests for AMD management and prevention. It is our hope that participants in this trial will be potentially protected from developing the late stages of AMD and that their vision will be preserved.