PreserVision AREDS3 Review: What You're Actually Buying

Aug 3, 20266 min readMedically reviewed

Reviewed August 2026

Older hands examining an unlabelled supplement bottle beside reading glasses and a notebook

"The honest question is not which formula is better. It is whether you are the person either was designed for." - Dr. Elena Markovic

1. What Changed

PreserVision AREDS3 launched on 19 May 2026. Two ingredients changed from AREDS2: zinc dropped from 80 mg to 25 mg, and eight B vitamins were added.

Lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C, vitamin E and copper are unchanged. Neither formula contains meso-zeaxanthin or astaxanthin.

A full ingredient-by-ingredient breakdown is in our AREDS3 ingredients guide.

2. What AREDS3 Gets Right

Three things, and they are real.

The zinc reduction is a genuine improvement. 80 mg is more than seven times the Daily Value, and it is the single most common reason people abandon eye vitamins.

Cutting it to 25 mg addresses the actual barrier to people taking the thing consistently. A supplement you stop taking protects nothing.

The AREDS2 nutrient core is intact. Those six ingredients are the only combination in this entire category with large randomised outcome data behind them. AREDS3 did not dilute them - which is also the full AREDS2 versus AREDS3 comparison in short.

Bausch + Lomb is a real ophthalmic company. Manufacturing, distribution and clinical relationships that most supplement brands, including ours, do not have.

3. What Is Oversold

Also three things.

There is no trial of AREDS3 itself. Retinal Physician, May 2026: "No dedicated clinical trial has yet evaluated whether PreserVision AREDS3 slows AMD progression." A long-term study is described as being in planning.

The B-vitamin case is thin. A manufacturer-funded narrative review, plus one secondary analysis of a cardiovascular trial in women without macular degeneration, at a folate dose 2.8 times higher than AREDS3 delivers.

"2x absorption" measures blood, not vision. Area-under-curve blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, against Bausch + Lomb's own older softgel.

The published study behind the delivery technology used 90 healthy men, a single dose, and a generic comparator, funded by the ingredient supplier. Higher blood levels are a reasonable thing to want. They are not a demonstrated benefit to sight.

4. Who Should Switch, And Who Should Not

Do not switch on your own if your doctor prescribed AREDS2

The NEI is specific that AREDS 2 is for people with intermediate AMD in one or both eyes, or late AMD in one eye. AREDS3 changes the zinc dose inside that formula and has not been tested for the same outcome. Raise it at your next appointment instead.

Do raise it if the zinc upsets your stomach

This is the clearest reason AREDS3 exists and the most honest thing in its favour. Tell your doctor you have been skipping doses - that changes what they offer you.

Ask a different question if nobody diagnosed you

The National Eye Institute states that "AREDS 2 supplements can't prevent early AMD from developing into intermediate AMD," and that there was "no benefit for people with early AMD or for people who do not have AMD."

If that describes you, the question is not AREDS2 or AREDS3. It is whether an AREDS formula is the right product at all.

Klaris is built for that second group: people without a diagnosis who want to support the macular pigment that protects the centre of their vision, including the meso-zeaxanthin and astaxanthin that no AREDS formula contains.

It is not an AREDS2 substitute, it carries less vitamin C and vitamin E than the AREDS doses, and if your eye doctor has put you on AREDS2, keep taking AREDS2.

5. Frequently Asked Questions

That depends almost entirely on whether you have been diagnosed with macular degeneration. If your eye doctor recommended an AREDS formula for intermediate or late AMD then you are buying the only supplement category with large randomised outcome data behind it. If nobody has diagnosed you, the National Eye Institute's position is that AREDS supplements showed no benefit for people with early AMD or no AMD - in which case you are paying for a clinical formula outside the situation it was built for, and a formula designed around everyday macular pigment support may suit you better.

Ask your eye doctor before switching, particularly if AREDS2 was recommended for intermediate or late macular degeneration. AREDS3 changes the zinc dose in a formula that was tested at 80 mg, and no trial has compared AREDS3 against AREDS2 for slowing macular degeneration. The one clear reason to raise it at your appointment is tolerability: if 80 mg of zinc upsets your stomach, 25 mg is likely to be easier, and a supplement you actually keep taking is worth more than one you abandon. If you are taking AREDS2 without a diagnosis and without side effects, the more useful question is whether an AREDS formula is the right product for you at all.

It means more lutein and zeaxanthin showed up in the bloodstream, measured against Bausch + Lomb's own older PreserVision AREDS 2 soft gel - not against a competitor, and not against any measure of vision. The claim comes from area-under-curve blood testing. The published study behind the underlying delivery technology tested 90 healthy adult men on a single dose against a generic commercial lutein blend, and was funded by the ingredient supplier. Higher blood levels are reasonable to want, since a carotenoid has to reach your blood before it can reach your macula. But absorption is a step toward a benefit, not the benefit, and no study has shown this increase changes how well anyone sees.

Still have questions? Contact us.

6. References

Bausch + Lomb launches PreserVision AREDS3 eye vitamins in US. Optometry Times. May 2026.
National Eye Institute. AREDS/AREDS2 Frequently Asked Questions.
National Eye Institute. Nutritional Supplements for Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
The Evolution of AREDS. Retinal Physician. May/June 2026.
Kotagiri SR, et al. Ophthalmol Ther. 2022;11(4):1463-1477.
Johnson AR, et al. J Urol. 2007;177(2):639-643.

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About the author

Dr. Elena Markovic, MD

Neuro-ophthalmology, 20+ years in clinical practice

Dr. Markovic reviews every Klaris article for medical accuracy. Her clinical focus is age-related vision change, macular pigment and the nutrition behind both. Read Dr. Markovic’s full profile.