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It appeared that a not-in-the-archives full-text-free
article (1) has
evidenced age-related macular degeneration is countered by a
high levels
supplement of vitamins and trace metal, zinc.
http://tinyurl.com/ykxqyg is
a good introduction that may be better than what the sender
of this message
may be able to provide. Was the information that Bausch &
Lomb funded the
study contradicted in paper?

Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group.
A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose
supplementation with vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and
zinc for
age-related macular degeneration and vision loss: AREDS
report no. 8.
Arch Ophthalmol. 2001 Oct;119(10):1417-36.
PMID: 11594942


... age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ... an 11-center
double-masked
clinical trial, enrolled participants in an AMD trial if
they had extensive
small drusen, intermediate drusen, large drusen, noncentral
geographic
atrophy, or pigment abnormalities in 1 or both eyes, or
advanced AMD or
vision loss due to AMD in 1 eye. At least 1 eye had
best-corrected visual
acuity of 20/32 or better. Participants were randomly
assigned to receive
daily oral tablets containing: (1) antioxidants (vitamin C,
500 mg; vitamin
E, 400 IU; and beta carotene, 15 mg); (2) zinc, 80 mg, as
zinc oxide and
copper, 2 mg, as cupric oxide; (3) antioxidants plus zinc;
or (4) placebo.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) Photographic assessment of
progression to or
treatment for advanced AMD and (2) at least moderate visual
acuity loss from
baseline (> or =15 letters). Primary analyses used
repeated-measures
logistic regression with a significance level of.01,
unadjusted for
covariates. Serum level measurements, medical histories, and
mortality rates
were used for safety monitoring. RESULTS: Average follow-up
of the 3640
enrolled study participants, aged 55-80 years, was 6.3
years, with 2.4% lost
to follow-up. Comparison with placebo demonstrated a
statistically
significant odds reduction for the development of advanced
AMD with
antioxidants plus zinc (odds ratio [OR], 0.72; 99%
confidence interval [CI],
0.52-0.98). The ORs for zinc alone and antioxidants alone
are 0.75 (99% CI,
0.55-1.03) and 0.80 (99% CI, 0.59-1.09), respectively.
Participants with
extensive small drusen, nonextensive intermediate size
drusen, or pigment
abnormalities had only a 1.3% 5-year probability of
progression to advanced
AMD. Odds reduction estimates increased when these 1063
participants were
excluded (antioxidants plus zinc: OR, 0.66; 99% CI,
0.47-0.91; zinc: OR,
0.71; 99% CI, 0.52-0.99; antioxidants: OR, 0.76; 99% CI,
0.55-1.05). Both
zinc and antioxidants plus zinc significantly reduced the
odds of developing
advanced AMD in this higher-risk group. The only
statistically significant
reduction in rates of at least moderate visual acuity loss
occurred in
persons assigned to receive antioxidants plus zinc (OR,
0.73; 99% CI,
0.54-0.99). No statistically significant serious adverse
effect was
associated with any of the formulations.

CONCLUSIONS: Persons older than 55
years should have dilated eye examinations to determine
their risk of
developing advanced AMD. Those with extensive intermediate
size drusen, at
least 1 large druse, noncentral geographic atrophy in 1 or
both eyes, or
advanced AMD or vision loss due to AMD in 1 eye, and without
contraindications such as smoking, should consider taking a
supplement of
antioxidants plus zinc such as that used in this study.