Research Abstracts
Abstract
10.1177/1076167503258357 OTHER Research AbstractsResearch RESEARCH ABSTRACTS A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial of High-Dose Supplementation With Vitamins C and E and Beta Carotene for Age-Related Cataract and Vision Loss: AREDS Report No. 9. Age-Related Eye Disease Study Report. (2001). Archives of Clinical Ophthalmology, 119(10), 1439-1452. To evaluate the effect of a high-dose antioxidant formulation on the development and pro- gression of age-related lens opacities and visual acuity loss, a clinical trial was conducted at 11 centers. Fifty-six percent of the participants were female, 96% were White, and the median age was 68 years. Participants were randomly assigned to receive daily oral tablets containing either antioxidants (vitamin C, 500 mg; vitamin E, 400 IU; and beta carotene, 15 mg) or no antioxidants. Participants with more than a few small drusen were also ran- domly assigned to receive tablets with or without zinc (80 mg or zinc as zinc oxide) and copper (2 mg of copper as cupric oxide) as part of the age-related macular degeneration (AMD) trial. Baseline and annual (starting at year 2) lens photographs were graded at a reading center for the severity of lens opacity using the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) cataract grading scale. About 2.3%