Antioxidant vitamins – 500 mg of vitamin C;

400 IU of vitamin E

15 mg of beta-carotene

80 mg of zinc oxide and

2 mg of cupric oxide

Macular pigments – xanthophylls

10 mg of lutein

2 mg of z eaxanthin

1 g of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA +EPA)

This study will also investigate whether the current AREDS formulation might be modified by eliminating beta-carotene.

As previously mentioned, beta-carotene, which is not present within the eye, constitutes a problem for smokers, due to the high incidence of lung cancer in this patient group.

A secondary randomisation in AREDS 2 will evaluate the possibility of eliminating and/or lowering the amount of zinc in the AREDS formulation, since zinc levels in the current formulation are considered high and available evidence suggests that the body is only able to absorb 25 mg of zinc per day.