The purpose of this study, the Aged Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), is to enroll patients with minor to severe drusen pathology and a) follow the natural progression of macular degeneration; and b) determine if dietary supplements of multivitamins, mineral(s) or multivitamins and minerals delay the progression of the disease. Because patients enrolled will not have optically significant lens opacities, this study will also provide information on development of cataracts in individuals with macular disease. The study will provide new information regarding the progression of macular degeneration and risk factors for cataract formation. Moreover, the effects of dietary supplements in the progression of macular disease and cataract formation will be assessed. The prospective nature of this study, its focus on the progression of drusen pathology, and its evaluation of the effects of dietary supplements make this a unique and much needed study.
