Institute of Vision Research Publish New Results in AMD Study
Based in the Whitfield Clinic in Waterford, the Institute of Vision Research (IVR), in association with the Macular Pigment Research Group (MPRG) based at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), has officially published new research in a high impact scientific journal (Current Eye Research) indicating that meso-zeaxanthin (one of three dietary carotenoids which make up a pigment at the back of the eye known as macular pigment), is central to increasing a person’s macular pigment level, and may help reduce a person’s risk of developing Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
AMD is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50 years of age, affecting an estimated 80,000 people in Ireland and over 12 million across Europe; this condition will continue to increase as the population ages. AMD affects the macula, the central part of the retina responsible for clear central vision and in its late stage results in loss of central vision. Macular pigment is believed to protect against AMD as it filters damaging blue light and neutralises unstable molecules (known as free radicals), which are believed to contribute to AMD.
Discussing the study, Mr. Stephen Beatty, Director of IVR explained, “Macular pigment is made up of three carotenoids, meso-zeaxanthin, zeaxanthin and lutein. A compelling body of evidence indicates that a lack of macular pigment increases a person’s risk of developing AMD. This newly published study recently completed by the IVR, the MOST study 1 (Meso-zeaxanthin Ocular Supplementation Trial 1), was the first in the world to investigate how individuals respond in their blood and eye to a supplement containing all three components of the macular pigment, including meso-zeaxanthin".
Two subject groups were recruited for the study, one with early stage AMD and the other with no eye condition. Subjects were instructed to consume a formulation containing meso-zeaxanthin, zeaxanthin and lutein over an eight-week study period. The MOST study observed the greatest increase in macular pigment levels at the centre of the eye where protection from light and free radicals is needed most. Importantly, all subjects in the study who initially presented with a lack of macular pigment at the centre (40% of subjects, many of which had AMD) were able to rebuild their macular pigment with great success by the end of the study, and the research team at the IVR attribute this important finding to the presence of meso-zeaxanthin in the study formulation.
Commenting on the results, Dr. John Nolan, IVR Director said, "This novel and important finding lends support to the possibility that individuals lacking centrally located macular pigment require meso-zeaxanthin to be provided in supplement form, as they may lack the capacity to convert lutein to meso-zeaxanthin at the retina, as it has been shown that meso-zeaxanthin is normally generated at the retina from lutein”.
The MOST study is in support of the scientific rationale for supplementing with meso-zeaxanthin, when trying to increase a person’s macular pigment level, and may have significant implications for patients with, or at risk of developing, AMD.
The Institute of Vision Research is currently recruiting patients with early stage AMD for a new trial. For further information on this research or to find out about other trials being conducted at the IVR (www.ivr.ie), please contact Eithne Connolly, Clinical Research Technician, on 051 302153 or at eithne@ivr.ie