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Slowing the progression of blindness
MANUFACTURERS' CORNER: NEW TECHNOLOGY Slowing the progression of blindness
ausch & Lomb Canada has announced the launch of a new vitamin and mineral supplement for the treatment of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is diagnosed in nearly 80 000 Canadians each year. It is the leading cause of blindness in Canadians over the age of 65 years and the leading cause of severe vision loss in those over age 50. Ocuvite PreserVision, now available over the counter in Canada, has been clinically proven to slow the progression of vision loss in a 10-year study by the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the US National Institutes of Health. The NEI's Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) showed that the high levels of antioxidants and zinc in the product reduced the risk of advanced AMD by about 25% and reduced the risk of associated vision loss by about 19%.
B
The PreserVision supplement evaluated by AREDS researchers contained, per tablet, 113 mg of vitamin C, 100 mg of vitamin E, 7160 IU of B-carotene, 17.4 mg of zinc as zinc oxide and 0.4 mg of copper as cupric oxide; copper was added to the AREDS formulations containing zinc to prevent copper deficiency, which may be associated with high levels of zinc supplementation. Two tablets were taken twice daily. Ocuvite PreserVision is the first and only produc~ to have the exact AREDS formulation, as indicated on the new packaging. AREDS is the first long-term, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to demonstrate the value of vitamin and mineral supplements in the preservation of eye health and vision. Details appear in the October 2001 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology. For more information about the study or to obtain a summary of the results, visit www.nei.nih.gov/amd.
CAN
J OPHTHALMOL-VOL. 38, NO. 6, 2003
519
ausch & Lomb Canada has announced the launch of a new vitamin and mineral supplement for the treatment of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is diagnosed in nearly 80 000 Canadians each year. It is the leading cause of blindness in Canadians over the age of 65 years and the leading cause of severe vision loss in those over age 50. Ocuvite PreserVision, now available over the counter in Canada, has been clinically proven to slow the progression of vision loss in a 10-year study by the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the US National Institutes of Health. The NEI's Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) showed that the high levels of antioxidants and zinc in the product reduced the risk of advanced AMD by about 25% and reduced the risk of associated vision loss by about 19%.
B
The PreserVision supplement evaluated by AREDS researchers contained, per tablet, 113 mg of vitamin C, 100 mg of vitamin E, 7160 IU of B-carotene, 17.4 mg of zinc as zinc oxide and 0.4 mg of copper as cupric oxide; copper was added to the AREDS formulations containing zinc to prevent copper deficiency, which may be associated with high levels of zinc supplementation. Two tablets were taken twice daily. Ocuvite PreserVision is the first and only produc~ to have the exact AREDS formulation, as indicated on the new packaging. AREDS is the first long-term, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to demonstrate the value of vitamin and mineral supplements in the preservation of eye health and vision. Details appear in the October 2001 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology. For more information about the study or to obtain a summary of the results, visit www.nei.nih.gov/amd.
CAN
J OPHTHALMOL-VOL. 38, NO. 6, 2003
519