Mr Simcock attended the Retinal Pioneers Summit in London, sponsored by Roche, a pharmaceutical company that manufactures the anti-VEGF agent Eylea. The guest speaker was Dr Xand van Tulleken, who delivered an excellent talk on the role of vitamin supplements in maintaining health. He advocated a healthy degree of scepticism regarding both their effectiveness and their cost. His recommendations reflected a common-sense approach: eating a healthy balanced diet, exercising regularly and avoiding smoking offer the best way to maintain good health.

With regard to eye health, there is limited evidence to support the use of vitamin supplements in individuals with otherwise healthy eyes. However, evidence from the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies suggests that AREDS2 supplements (see below) may benefit certain patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). For those with only mild AMD, there is no established evidence of benefit, and supplementation is not routinely recommended. In contrast, AREDS2 supplements are generally recommended for patients with a moderate amount of dry AMD, or for those with advanced (wet) AMD in one eye and dry AMD in the fellow eye to avoid progression of their disease.

AREDS2 supplements contain a specific combination of vitamins and minerals that may help slow the progression of macular degeneration in certain patients. There are many brands available, but provided they contain the recommended AREDS2 formulation, there is no convincing evidence that one brand is more effective than another. I would therefore recommend choosing the most cost-effective option. Where supplementation is indicated, it is generally intended to be taken long term, provided the clinical reasons for taking it remain.  The AREDS2 formula contains the following:

Vitamin C 500mg, an anti-oxidant vitamin to prevent cells being damaged by harmful molecules called “free radicals”

Vitamin E 400IU, also an anti-oxidant vitamin which works in the same way as Vitamin C

Zinc 80mg, needed for normal retinal function

Copper 2mg,  the high dose of Zinc in the ARED2 supplement can reduce the supply of Copper to the retina so this counteracts that effect

Lutein 10mg, this is called a carotenoid and protects the retina by filtering some of the blue light (which has a higher energy level than red light)

Zeaxanthin 2mg, this is also a carotenoid and has a similar effect to Lutein.  All carotenoids also have anti-oxidant properties to help with free radicals