VisionMD vs PreserVision AREDS 2: Which Eye Vitamin Matches the Research?

Side-by-side label comparison

Label text as recorded in the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (VisionMD entry, 2024; PreserVision entry, 2021), alongside the official VisionMD and PreserVision product pages, checked September 2026. Formulas and prices can change, so confirm the label before you buy.

Which one is an AREDS2 formula?

The AREDS2 formula is six nutrients at specific daily doses: vitamin C 500 mg, vitamin E 400 IU, zinc 80 mg, copper 2 mg, lutein 10 mg and zeaxanthin 2 mg. PreserVision AREDS 2 lists exactly those amounts. VisionMD shares two of the six (lutein and zeaxanthin) and has vitamin E at a different form and dose.

That gap matters more than it looks. In the AREDS2 trial, every participant was also offered the original AREDS vitamins and zinc. Adding lutein and zeaxanthin on top did not further reduce progression to advanced AMD in the main analysis. Their real job in the final formula was to replace beta-carotene. So there’s no trial showing that lutein and zeaxanthin on their own slow macular degeneration the way the full formula does.

For how the original and updated formulas differ dose by dose, see AREDS vs AREDS2.

What about the CARMIS study?

VisionMD says its carotenoids match the doses in CARMIS, an Italian trial (its zeaxanthin is 2 mg, where CARMIS used 1 mg). CARMIS randomly assigned 145 people with macular degeneration to a supplement with lutein (10 mg), zeaxanthin (1 mg) and astaxanthin (4 mg) plus other antioxidants and vitamins, or to no supplement, for two years. The supplement group kept steadier visual acuity and had better contrast sensitivity at 24 months.

It’s a genuine study, but a much weaker one than AREDS2: it was small, open-label (people knew whether they were taking the supplement, with no placebo), and the tested product also included an antioxidant and vitamin formula, so the result can’t be credited to the carotenoids alone. The authors themselves concluded that larger and longer studies are needed. Preliminary

The beta-carotene question

AREDS2 removed beta-carotene from the formula because more lung cancers showed up in people taking it, mostly former smokers. PreserVision AREDS 2 is labeled beta-carotene free.

VisionMD’s vitamin A comes from EVTene, a palm-fruit mixed-carotene extract that its manufacturer describes as about 65% beta-carotene and 33% alpha-carotene. The VisionMD label doesn’t list the beta-carotene amount separately. If you smoke or used to, ask your doctor before taking it.

Which one should you choose?

• Diagnosed with intermediate AMD, or late AMD in one eye: an AREDS2 formula, such as PreserVision AREDS 2 or any product listing the same six doses. This is the group the National Eye Institute says these supplements may help.
• No AMD, want lutein and zeaxanthin for macular pigment or glare: VisionMD provides the AREDS2 amounts of both. Our lutein and zeaxanthin guide explains what that evidence does and doesn’t show.
• Smoker or former smoker: PreserVision AREDS 2 has no beta-carotene; VisionMD’s vitamin A source includes it.
• Already taking a multivitamin with zinc: 80 mg of zinc a day is a high dose. Check your total intake with your doctor, and take it with food as the label directs.

Comparing other eye supplements? Two products we’ve reviewed in depth are compared side by side in VisiFlora vs VISIVRA (ratings, price and guarantee), and three more are covered in 5 Vision Supplements Compared. Neither VisiFlora nor VISIVRA matches the AREDS2 doses, and the pages say so.