Objective:

To evaluate the impact of AREDS vitamin supplements on the progression of geographic atrophy (GA) using data from the OAKS and DERBY trials, which are pivotal studies in this area.

Key Findings:

• No significant effect of AREDS or AREDS2 vitamin supplementation on GA growth or vision loss was found, failing to reproduce earlier reported benefits.
• The previously reported benefit of slowing GA growth towards the fovea was not reproduced in this analysis.
• AREDS vitamins did not augment the effects of pegcetacoplan on GA growth or influence the development of exudative AMD.

Interpretation:

The findings suggest that AREDS vitamins do not provide meaningful benefits in slowing the progression of geographic atrophy, contradicting earlier studies and indicating a need for further research into effective treatments.

Limitations:

• The analysis was a post hoc study, which may limit the strength of the conclusions drawn from the data.
• Differences in patient populations and imaging techniques between studies may affect comparability and the generalizability of the findings.

Conclusion:

Further research is needed to explore effective treatments for geographic atrophy, as current evidence does not support the use of AREDS vitamins, highlighting the necessity for alternative therapeutic strategies.