Study finds vitamin E suppliments have little impact on cataracts

SAN FRANCISCO Three studies in the May 2008 issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, shed new light on important eye health issues, including the role of antioxidant supplements, the Academy announced Thursday.

A new analysis of the Women’s Health Study found that women who took vitamin E supplements had rates of cataract development comparable to women who did not take such supplements, results consistent with four previous trials, noted study leader William Christen. “Together, these results indicate that supplementation with vitamin E, alone or in combination with other antioxidant nutrients, for durations as long as 6.5 years has little impact on cataract occurrence in well-nourished patients,” he said.