Taking high-dose antioxidant vitamins and minerals regularly can decrease the risk of advanced AMD in individuals with which features?

High-dose antioxidant vitamins and minerals have been shown to decrease the risk of progressing to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) particularly in individuals exhibiting certain features of dry AMD. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) identified that patients who showed specific characteristics of intermediate-stage dry AMD, such as the presence of large drusen or pigmentary abnormalities, benefitted from supplementation with these nutrients.

While antioxidants can have some protective effects in general eye health, the specific formulation used in the AREDS study, including vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and zinc, was aimed at those with distinct dry AMD manifestations. This tailored approach explains why individuals with features of certain dry AMD types would see a reduction in the risk of advancing to the more damaging wet AMD stage compared to others in different manifestations of the disease. Therefore, the correlation between specific dry AMD features and the effectiveness of high-dose antioxidant supplementation is well-supported by clinical evidence.