EyeScience Macular Health Formula was created by a leading retina and macular specialist and based on two decades of research. The nutritional supplements recommended for AMD came from the results of the Age-Related Disease Studies – AREDS and AREDS2. The AREDS study, published in 2001, evaluated the best vitamins for macular degeneration and its progression. The study followed 3,600 participants who had AMD or drusen, the substance that causes AMD. The AREDS2 study launched in 2006. This study included 4,203 participants and showed that beta-carotene, what was included in the original AREDS formula, increased the risk for lung cancer for those who were former smokers. The AREDS2 formula substitutes beta-carotene for lutein and zeaxanthin. The Macular Health Formula includes additional nutrients beyond those in the AREDS2 formula that are beneficial to vision health and slowing the progression of macular degeneration. These additional nutrients include bilberry, grape seed extract, alpha lipoic acid, selenium, and folic acid.