An exploratory study evaluating the effects of macular carotenoid supplementation in various retinal diseases.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of daily oral supplementation with Macushield (10 mg/d meso-zeaxanthin, 10 mg/d lutein, and 2 mg/d zeaxanthin) on eye health in patients with retinal diseases by assessing the macular pigment (MP) profile, the visual function, and the quality of life.


METHODS
Fifty-one patients with various retinal diseases were supplemented daily and followed up for 6 months. The MP optical density was measured using the customized heterochromatic flicker photometry and dual-wavelength autofluorescence. Visual function was evaluated by assessing the change in best corrected visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and glare sensitivity in mesopic and photopic conditions. Vision-related and general quality of life changes were determined using the National Eye Insititute- Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI-VFQ-25) and EuroQoL-5 dimension questionnaires.


RESULTS
A statistically significant increase in the MP optical density was observed using the dual-wavelength autofluorescence (P=0.04) but not with the customized heterochromatic flicker photometry. Statistically significant (P<0.05) improvements in glare sensitivity in low and medium spatial frequencies were observed at 3 months and 6 months. Ceiling effects confounded other visual function tests and quality of life changes.


CONCLUSIONS
Supplementation with the three carotenoids enhances certain aspects of visual performance in retinal diseases.
NIHR Clinical Research Facility, NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK.
Roxanne
R
Crosby-Nwaobi
NIHR Clinical Research Facility, NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK.
Philip
P
Hykin
NIHR Clinical Research Facility, NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK.
Tunde
T
Peto
NIHR Clinical Research Facility, NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK.
Sobha
S
Sivaprasad
age-related macular degeneration; central serous retinopathy; diabetes; macular pigment optical density