Volunteer call to test dietary supplements for boosting vision

RESEARCHERS at Waterford Institute of Technology are appealing for volunteers to take part in a research study to examine whether dietary supplements can improve vision.

A total of 120 volunteers are required for the study beginning in August — and will see half the group taking a genuine dietary supplement while the other half will be given a placebo.

The research study is on macular pigment and its relationship with visual performance and comfort.

Supported by significant funding from Bausch & Lomb and Enterprise Ireland, the study is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 40.

Deputy director of the Macular Pigment Research Group (MPRG) Dr John Nolan said it is believed that macular pigment may protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD), “the leading cause of irreversible blindness in people over 50 years of age, affecting an estimated 80,000 people in Ireland alone”.

The studies being conducted by MPRG aim to arrest or prevent AMD and improve vision. The focus of the research is to investigate macular pigment and its potential role in preventing AMD. It also wants to enhance the understanding of AMD, with emphasis on the role nutrition might play in the prevention, delay, or modification of this disease.

Phase 2 of the study entitled “Collaborative Optical Macular Pigment Assessment Study” (COMPASS) is investigating whether intervention using a dietary supplement improves visual performance and quality.

“It is a commitment,” said Dr Nolan. “However, we now believe from the research that has been conducted to date in this area, that people should have their macular pigment measured. The importance of macular pigment is now being realised. Some of the early findings from Phase 1 of this study, which is now completed, show that high macular pigment levels are beneficial for an individual’s overall quality of vision and for overall visual comfort.”

Participants will be asked to attend the MPRG’s vision research laboratory on four occasions (at baseline, after three months, six months and 12 months) and take the supplement on a daily basis during this 12-month period.

There are no adverse or side effects anticipated from taking this dietary supplement, which is an already commercially available eye care product.

In addition, the MPRG researchers are appealing to people who are overweight, and interested in gaining free advice on losing weight, to volunteer for a separate study on diet and eyesight.

The study follows on from an already published finding from the research group which explored the relationship between macular pigment and body fat.

* People interested in participating in either study in Waterford or Dublin can contact Eithne Connolly at the MPRG at 051 845505 or email at [e-mail], for further information.