Source: Ophthalmology  |  Posted 9 years ago

Increasing antioxidant levels in the retina might influence macular function in early age-related maculopathy as well as during normal aging.

Researchers from the Universita Cattolica del S Cuore, Rome, Italy, enrolled 30 patients with early age-related maculopathy and a visual acuity of at least 20/30 as well as eight age-matched normal controls.

Seventeen patients and four controls received oral lutein 15 mg; vitamin E 20 mg; nicotinamide 18 mg for 180 days. Eight patients with age-related maculopathy took the antioxidants for a further 180 days. The remaining patients and controls did not receive supplements.

After 180 days, focal electroretinograms (FERGs) showed increased amplitude compared to baseline in patients and controls that received the antioxidants (p

After 360 days, the FERG amplitude remained elevated compared to baseline (p<0.05). However, the increase was no more marked than after 180 days. One patient discontinued supplementation after 180 days. In this patient, FERG amplitude decreased from the value after 180 days and approached the baseline value.

The authors comment that this study does not offer any evidence that long-term antioxidant supplementation will benefit age-related maculopathy patients. However, they conclude that increasing antioxidant levels in the retina might influence macular function in early ARM as well as during normal aging.