Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) Follow-Up

NCT ID: NCT00594672

Last Updated: 2025-12-26

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

110 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2008-06-02

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

This study is a 5-year extension of the AREDS protocol, in which investigators followed the natural course of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. Participants in the former AREDS protocol are eligible for this study.

Participants have a complete eye examination once a year and are contacted at least once a year between visits to check on their status. The eye examination includes measurement of visual acuity (vision chart test) and examination of the inside of the eye after the pupils have been dilated with eye drops. Photographs of the inside of the eye may be taken using a special camera that flashes a bright light in the eye. A blood sample may be obtained to test for cholesterol level and genes related to inflammation....

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) Follow-Up protocol allows us to continue with the follow-up of participants who were enrolled in the clinical trial of antioxidant vitamins and zinc. The AREDS study was designed in the beginning to determine the clinical course and prognosis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.1 In addition, AREDS evaluated the possible risk factors associated with the development of AMD and cataracts; the nutritional risk factors were evaluated and published in October 2001.

Study results showed that antioxidant vitamins and zinc therapy reduced the risk of developing advanced AMD in participants with intermediate and greater risk of developing AMD (categories 3 and 4) by 25%. The risk of vision loss of three lines or more on the logarithmic visual acuity charts was also reduced by 19% for these participants. For those who developed AMD, their risk of vision loss was reduced by 25%. Antioxidants and zinc are now recommended for participants who have an intermediate risk of developing advanced AMD.

Upon completion of the AREDS clinical trial in September 2001, participants were invited for follow-up for an additional five years to collect further data on the natural course of both AMD and cataracts. Although the multi-center trial was complete in December 2005, we wish to continue to follow-up on these participants at the NEI on an annual basis for a minimum of five years from the date of enrollment in this study to collect additional data.

Although results from AREDS on the relationship of lutein/zeaxanthin and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) intake with advanced AMD were informative, the non-experimental sampling (observational) design limited our strength of inference. AREDS2, a multi-center Phase III randomized clinical trial, was designed to assess the effects of oral supplementation of high doses of macular xanthophylls (lutein and zeaxanthin) and/or omega-3 LCPUFAs as a treatment for AMD, cataract, and moderate vision loss. In addition to this objective, the study provided information on the clinical course, prognosis, and risk factors for development and progression of both AMD and cataract. Other study goals included the evaluation of eliminating beta-carotene and/or reducing zinc in the original AREDS formulation on the progression and development of AMD. AREDS2 also sought to validate the fundus photographic AMD scale developed from AREDS. Participants who completed AREDS2 are invited for follow-up on an annual basis for at least five years from the date of enrollment in this study to collect additional data.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration Cataract

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

Cataract Age-Related Macular Degeneration Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Cataracts Natural History Age Related Macular Degeneration AMD

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

AREDS participants

Participants who were enrolled in the AREDS or AREDS2 protocol and successfully completed the final AREDS or AREDS2 follow-up visit.

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

Participants will be eligible if they:

* Were enrolled in the AREDS or AREDS2 protocol and successfully completed the final AREDS or AREDS2 follow-up visit.
* Can understand and provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

Participants will not be eligible if they:

* Are under the age of 50.
* Are not able to return to NIH for examination for the duration of the trial.
* Have any systemic diseases that compromise the ability to provide adequate ophthalmologic examination.
Minimum Eligible Age

50 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

100 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

National Eye Institute (NEI)

NIH

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Emily Y Chew, M.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

National Eye Institute (NEI)

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Seddon JM, De D, Rosner B. The role of nutritional factors in transitioning between early, mid, and late stages of age-related macular degeneration: prospective longitudinal analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2024 Dec;120(6):1387-1398. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.08.019. Epub 2024 Aug 23.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 39181206 (View on PubMed)

Seddon JM, Silver RE, Rosner B. Response to AREDS supplements according to genetic factors: survival analysis approach using the eye as the unit of analysis. Br J Ophthalmol. 2016 Dec;100(12):1731-1737. doi: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2016-308624. Epub 2016 Jul 28.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 27471039 (View on PubMed)

Merle BM, Silver RE, Rosner B, Seddon JM. Dietary folate, B vitamins, genetic susceptibility and progression to advanced nonexudative age-related macular degeneration with geographic atrophy: a prospective cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Apr;103(4):1135-44. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.115.117606.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 26961928 (View on PubMed)

Merle BM, Silver RE, Rosner B, Seddon JM. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet, genetic susceptibility, and progression to advanced macular degeneration: a prospective cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Nov;102(5):1196-206. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.115.111047. Epub 2015 Oct 21.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 26490493 (View on PubMed)

Sangiovanni JP, Agron E, Meleth AD, Reed GF, Sperduto RD, Clemons TE, Chew EY; Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group. omega-3 Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and 12-y incidence of neovascular age-related macular degeneration and central geographic atrophy: AREDS report 30, a prospective cohort study from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Dec;90(6):1601-7. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27594. Epub 2009 Oct 7.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 19812176 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

08-EI-0043

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

080043

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id