Examine your vision from a different perspective
Each of our five senses—touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight—are precious gifts that help us experience the joys of life. When people are asked which sense they would be most concerned about losing, the majority immediately say sight. Seeing brings us out of darkness and allows our brain to perceive the beauty, colors, and emotions of the world we live in.
Vision, a Threatened Sense
For many Canadians, the risk of losing their sight is far too high. The name of this threat is age-related macular degeneration, or AMD.
What is AMD?
AMD is an eye condition that affects adults as they age. It causes damage to the retina, which can lead to vision loss in the center of the visual field (the macula). AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in Canada; it affects over one million Canadians and more than a third of the population aged between 55 and 74.
What can we do to reduce our risk of vision loss?
Avoiding smoking, reducing our exposure to pollution, lowering our stress levels, wearing UV-protective sunglasses, and ensuring we follow a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help!
Vitamin and carotenoid supplementation is another way to reduce our risk. Studies on the prevention of dry AMD using antioxidants have shown that a specific combination can reduce the incidence of AMD by 25% in high-risk patients. This is the conclusion of the largest study on ocular nutrition ever conducted, the AREDS.
AREDS closely followed 4,500 participants with varying levels of AMD. The results indicated that the AREDS formula, while not curing AMD, can play a key role in helping people at high risk of developing advanced AMD to maintain their residual vision. The daily dose of vitamins and minerals evaluated was 25,000 IU of beta-carotene, 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, 80 mg of zinc, and 2 mg of copper. Over the past fifteen years, AMD-inspired formulas have been recommended by ophthalmologists to millions of Canadians at risk of AMD.
In the years following the groundbreaking AREDS study, research continued. One of the objectives of the follow-up studies was to replicate the impressive prevention results obtained with the AREDS formula, while making it safer. Other studies had raised concerns that beta-carotene, a vitamin in the AREDS formula, could increase the risk of cancer in smoking patients. Was there a way to substitute beta-carotene with other antioxidants? Also, the AREDS formula was developed with a high amount of zinc, and high amounts of zinc are known to affect urinary comfort – could this level be reduced?
The follow-up study, known as AREDS2, examined these questions. Completed in 2013, it demonstrated that the benefits of the original AREDS formula could be obtained without beta-carotene and with a reduced zinc content. The new formula now contains a combination of two powerful natural marigold antioxidants, known as lutein and zeaxanthin (10 mg and 2 mg per day, respectively). The AREDS2 study concluded that the formula containing lutein and zeaxanthin is even more effective than the original AREDS formula in people who consume few leafy green vegetables.
Health First® Vision Supreme is a new vision supplement based on AREDS2 research. The product meets and exceeds the lutein and zeaxanthin requirements evaluated in the AREDS2 study, without the use of beta-carotene and with a reduced zinc level. Vision Supreme also contains natural antioxidants, including bilberries and goji berries.
The list of benefits of the Vision Supreme formula includes:
- Helps preserve vision and promote eye health in conditions associated with sun damage, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
- Helps slow the progression of eye diseases, including diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy and macular degeneration.
If you are serious about preserving your vision, Vision Supreme is clearly the choice for Canada's best clinically proven eye supplement.
Available in easy-to-swallow vegetable capsules.