Most Senior Eye Vitamins Haven't Changed Since 2013

Jun 10, 2026·7 min read·Medically reviewed

A message from Klaris. This article is produced by Klaris and recommends Klaris Visual Performance Complex. It was medically reviewed for accuracy by Dr. Elena Markovic, MD.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Elena Markovic, MD

Neuro-ophthalmology, 20+ years

Reviewed June 2026

Walk into a pharmacy. Go to the eye health shelf. Pick up three different bottles and read the labels.

You'll notice something odd. Different brands. Different packaging. Often very different prices. But the actual list of ingredients is almost identical.

That's not a coincidence. Almost every eye vitamin on the U.S. market is a copy of the same formula. The formula is called AREDS2. It was finalised in a clinical trial that ended in 2013.

That was a good year for eye science. The AREDS2 trial was an important, well-designed study. But that was over ten years ago, and since then, significant new research has come out that most bottles on the shelf are still ignoring.

Here is what the old formula got right, what it missed, and what a modern eye vitamin actually looks like.

1.What AREDS2 proved, and why it mattered

The AREDS2 trial was run by the U.S. National Eye Institute. It tested a specific combination of nutrients in adults with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and it found that the right combination could measurably slow the progression of the disease.

The final AREDS2 formula was:

• Vitamin C, 500 mg
• Vitamin E, 400 IU
• Lutein, 10 mg
• Zeaxanthin, 2 mg
• Zinc, 25 mg or 80 mg
• Copper, 2 mg

For the first time, there was solid evidence that the right nutrients at the right doses could slow a serious eye disease. The ophthalmology community embraced the formula, and supplement brands followed. Most of them simply copied it onto a label.

But AREDS2 had one job, to study AMD progression in people who already had the disease. It was not designed to include every nutrient that research has since shown to be valuable for aging eyes. And the trial was set up in the early 2000s, when three critical ingredients weren't even widely available.

2.What the old formula misses

The third eye-colour pigment

The macula, the small central patch at the back of the eye responsible for detailed vision, gets its yellow colour from three plant pigments:

• Lutein
• Zeaxanthin
• Meso-zeaxanthin

AREDS2 included the first two. It did not include meso-zeaxanthin, which wasn't a standard supplement ingredient at the time.

Here's the catch: meso-zeaxanthin is the dominant pigment at the very centre of the macula, the tiny spot that handles the sharpest detail vision. It is, arguably, the most important carotenoid in the part of the eye that AMD damages most.

Trials published after AREDS2 have repeatedly shown that supplementing all three carotenoids raises macular pigment density more effectively than the AREDS2 pair alone. It also improves contrast sensitivity and glare recovery, the exact visual functions older adults notice slipping.

Most eye vitamins still skip it. That is a 2013 decision that has not aged well.

Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a deep-red plant pigment produced by a microalga called Haematococcus pluvialis. It is one of the strongest natural antioxidants ever measured, several times more potent than vitamin E at neutralising certain kinds of oxidative damage.

For the eye, astaxanthin has a specific role: it concentrates in the focus muscle, the tiny ring of muscle that shapes the lens. Multiple clinical trials, particularly in Japan, have shown that astaxanthin reduces eye strain, improves focus endurance, and supports recovery from visual fatigue.

AREDS2 didn't test it. Most older formulas still don't include it.

Active B-vitamins

A large secondary analysis from the Women's Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study found that a combination of folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 was associated with a reduced risk of AMD over several years. (The trial used higher B-vitamin doses than most supplements provide.)

The proposed reason: these B-vitamins support the small blood vessels that nourish the optic nerve and the retina. Healthy vasculature, healthier eye.

Most eye vitamins include no B-vitamins at all. Those that do often include them in inactive forms that require the body to convert before they can be used. For older adults, and for the many people with a common genetic variant (MTHFR), that conversion is less efficient.

The active forms, L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5-MTHF), methylcobalamin, and pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P5P), are ready for the body to use immediately. They cost more. Most brands don't bother.

Mineral forms that upset the stomach

The AREDS2 trial used zinc oxide and copper oxide. These are cheap, poorly absorbed, and for zinc oxide notorious for causing nausea and stomach upset.

This is the single most common complaint about legacy eye vitamins. Older adults start taking them, their stomach objects, and they quietly stop. The zinc never does its job.

Zinc citrate and copper citrate are better absorbed, far gentler on the stomach, and cost only slightly more. There is no clinical reason to keep using the oxide forms in 2026. It is a cost choice, and it is one of the reasons eye vitamins have the reputation they do.

Beta-carotene that should have been phased out

The original AREDS formula (from 2001) included beta-carotene. That was later shown to increase the risk of lung cancer in current and former smokers. AREDS2 removed it for precisely this reason.

And yet a surprising number of eye supplements, including some sold as general "eye health" products, still contain beta-carotene. For any smoker or former smoker, this is a real safety issue that should have been fixed a long time ago.

The 2013 formula wasn't wrong. It just stopped being the whole picture.

3.What a modern eye vitamin actually looks like

Taking the evidence as it stands today, a modern eye vitamin for adults over 55 should:

• Use the AREDS2 doses of lutein and zeaxanthin that were actually validated in the trial
• Add meso-zeaxanthin to complete the three-carotenoid macular pigment
• Add astaxanthin for focus-muscle support and eye-wide antioxidant defence
• Use the low-dose zinc arm from AREDS2 (25 mg) in a citrate form that doesn't upset the stomach
• Include active-form B-vitamins to support the optic nerve and retinal blood flow
• Exclude beta-carotene to be safe for smokers and former smokers
• Be made in an FDA-registered, GMP-certified facility

None of that is exotic. It's simply what an up-to-date evidence-based formula looks like.

4.Where Klaris fits

Klaris was built to this updated spec, not to the 2013 spec:

• Lutein 10 mg + Zeaxanthin 2 mg, AREDS2 doses, from marigold
• Meso-Zeaxanthin 10 mg, the third macular carotenoid most eye vitamins skip
• Astaxanthin 4 mg, from red algae
• Zinc citrate 25 mg + Copper citrate 2 mg, the low-dose arm, gentle on the stomach
• Vitamin C 250 mg + Vitamin E 134 mg, antioxidant support
• Active B-vitamins, B6 as P5P, folate as L-5-MTHF, B12
• No beta-carotene, safe for current and former smokers

Plant-based. 11 active ingredients in one formula. Produced in an FDA-registered, GMP-certified facility. Two capsules daily with food.

For many older adults, Klaris replaces a separate eye vitamin, a B-complex, and an antioxidant supplement, one stack, done.

5.The bottom line

If you're paying for an eye vitamin, you deserve one that reflects what the science actually says now, not what was on the shelf when it was first recommended to you a decade ago. Before you reorder, flip the bottle over. Check for meso-zeaxanthin. Check for astaxanthin. Check what form the zinc is in. Check whether the folate is active.

If most of those come up blank, you are paying for a formula that the research has quietly moved past.

This article is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Anyone with AMD or another diagnosed eye condition should discuss supplementation with their ophthalmologist before making changes. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Klaris is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.