Macular Wellness formulas allow you to take a different carotenoid at each meal to ensure absorption.

The carotenoids compete for absorption, so avoid supplementing Beta Carotene at the same meal.

Also, avoid supplements with stearates or stearic acid listed as 'Other Ingredients.'

Each excipient-free capsule supplies:

Nutritional Factors:

 Vitamin B9: 5-MTHF 400 mcg 100%

Background: No effective therapeutic strategy for geographic atrophy (GA) is available, and prevention could be of great value. Conclusions: High folate intake was associated with a reduced risk of progression to GA. Source: Dietary folate, B vitamins, genetic susceptibility and progression to advanced nonexudative age-related macular degeneration with geographic atrophy: a prospective cohort study

 Vitamin B12: Adenosyl Cobalamin & Methyl Cobalamin 1000 mcg 1667%

Conclusion: Elevated serum tHcy [total homocysteine] and folate and vitamin B-12 deficiencies predicted increased risk of incident AMD, which suggests a potential role for vitamin B-12 and folate in reducing AMD risk. Source: Homocysteine, folate, vitamin B-12, and 10-y incidence of age-related macular degeneration

 Methyl Cobalamin 6 mcg 100%

We emphasize the mitochondrial coenzyme form and keep Methyl B12 to a minimum essential level because Methyl B12 is the catalyst that methylates Mercury. Research shows that "...methylation proceeded at a remarkably high rate when methylcobalamin and inorganic mercury were mixed." Source: Chemical methylation of inorganic mercury with methylcobalamin, a vitamin B12 analog

 Vitamin B15: TMG from Beta spp. 30 mg

Trimethylglycine is a methyl donor with three methyl groups. In a twin study, "The twin with the earlier stage of AMD, smaller drusen size and area, and less pigment tended to have higher dietary vitamin D, betaine, or methionine intake." Source: Smoking, dietary betaine, methionine, and vitamin D in monozygotic twins with discordant macular degeneration: epigenetic implications

 Vitamin B20: ALCAR 30 mg

In patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), acetyl-L-carnitine improved four parameters of visual function, including visual field mean defect, visual acuity, foveal sensitivity and ocular fundus alterations. Source: The aging eye and the role of L-carnitine and its derivatives

 Vitamin C: Ascorbyl Palmitate 20 mg 33%

[I]ntake... associated significantly (P ≤ 0.0005) with decreased risk of late AMD: vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, magnesium, copper, and alcohol. Source: Dietary Nutrient Intake and Progression to Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 and 2

 Ascorbyl Palmitate 50 mg

The lipophilic AP was able to cross biological barriers and satisfied the tissue demand for ascorbate better than the hydrophilic form. AP should be considered as the preferred form of transport of ascorbate into neural tissues. Source: Ascorbyl palmitate as a carrier of ascorbate into neural tissues

 Ascorbyl Palmitate 50 mg

The lipophilic AP was able to cross biological barriers and satisfied the tissue demand for ascorbate better than the hydrophilic form. AP should be considered as the preferred form of transport of ascorbate into neural tissues. Source: Ascorbyl palmitate as a carrier of ascorbate into neural tissues

 CoQ10 (20% Ultra Absorption) 25 mg supplies 5 mg

Early studies showed treatment of CoQ10 improved visual function in patients with age-related macular degeneration. Source: Therapeutic Potential of Co-enzyme Q10 in Retinal Diseases

 L-Carnosine 30 mg

Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) has protective functions additional to anti-oxidant and free-radical scavenging roles. It extends cultured human fibroblast life-span, kills transformed cells, protects cells against aldehydes and an amyloid peptide fragment and inhibits, in vitro, protein glycation (formation of cross-links, carbonyl groups and AGEs) and DNA/protein cross-linking. Carnosine is an aldehyde scavenger, a likely lipofuscin (age pigment) precursor and possible modulator of diabetic complications, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Source: Carnosine, a protective, anti-ageing peptide?

 Stabilized Bio-Enhanced® R-Lipoic Acid 25 mg

We use the patented Stabilized Bio-Enhanced® R-Lipoate form because it is many times more bioavailable than the common natural R-Lipoic Acid or synthetic racemic Lipoic Acid forms that can also harbor toxic impurities. "The contrast sensitivity measured at middle and low spatial frequency was significantly higher after LA [Lipoic Acid] treatment. ...LA treatment improves vision-related quality of life in patients with dry AMD probably by increasing antioxidant activity. Thus, LA can be regarded as a promising agent for the treatment of AMD." Source: α-Lipoic Acid Treatment Improves Vision-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration

 S-Acetyl Glutathione 25 mg

Reduced Glutathione is preferable to common Glutathione supplements but is subject to digestion in the gut and in the blood on the way to the retina. We use the more precious S-Acetyl Glutathione form because the addition of the acetyl group not only facilitates crossing the blood-eye barrier but also prevents its digestion until it is taken into the intracellular space, where an enzyme cleaves it off, releasing pre-formed reduced Glutathione into the cytoplasm. "The results suggest that in studies of age-related pathologies, oxidation of GSH may be a more important parameter than a decline in pool size, while in specific pathologies such as diabetes, both oxidation and a decline in pool size may be important." Source: Glutathione in human plasma: decline in association with aging, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetes

 N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 25 mg

In both AMD and No AMD cells, NAC pretreatment reduced t-BHP-induced ROS production and protected from H2O2-induced cell death and ATP depletion. In the absence of oxidation, NAC treatment improved mitochondrial function in both groups (p < 0.01). Conversely, the protective response exhibited by NAC was disease-dependent for some parameters. In the absence of oxidation, NAC significantly reduced ROS production (p < 0.001) and increased GSH content (p = 0.02) only in RPE from AMD donors. Additionally, NAC-mediated protection from H2O2-induced GSH depletion (p = 0.04) and mitochondrial dysfunction (p < 0.05) was more pronounced in AMD cells compared with No AMD cells. These results demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of NAC by mitigating oxidative damage in RPE. Additionally, the favorable outcomes observed for AMD RPE support NAC's relevance and the potential therapeutic value in treating AMD. Source: N-Acetyl-L-cysteine Protects Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells from Oxidative Damage: Implications for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

 Taurate 46 mg

In this review, we reported evidence of the protective role of taurine against retinal functional and morphological injuries in animal and in in vitro retinal disease models, thus implying that taurine may have a therapeutic potential in the treatment of retinal and degenerative disorders. Indeed, increasing data indicate that taurine may be effective in slowing down the progression of retinal diseases, thus suggesting that taurine can be a promising candidate for the prevention or as adjuvant treatment of these diseases. The mechanism by which taurine supplementation acts is mainly reducing the OS, even also antiapoptotic effects are involved.... [T]aurine should therefore be strongly reconsidered as a potential treatment for retinal diseases. Source: Taurine and oxidative stress in retinal health and disease

 Magnesium 4 mg 1%

[I]intake... associated significantly (P ≤ 0.0005) with decreased risk of late AMD: vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, magnesium, copper, and alcohol.... Regarding neovascular AMD, 9 nutrients were associated... with decreased risk-vitamin A, vitamin B6, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, magnesium, copper, docosahexaenoic acid, omega-3 fatty acid, and alcohol... Source: Dietary Nutrient Intake and Progression to Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 and 2

Botanical Factors:

Safranal 3% (Crocus sativa) 30 mg *

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) has been traditionally used in food preparation and as a medicinal plant. It currently has numerous therapeutic properties attributed to it, such as protection against ischemia, as well as anticonvulsant, antidepressant, anxiolytic, hypolipidemic, anti-atherogenic, anti-hypertensive, antidiabetic, and anti-cancer properties. In addition, saffron has remarkable beneficial properties, such as anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, due to its main metabolites, among which crocin and crocetin stand out. Furthermore, increasing evidence underwrites the possible neuroprotective role of the main bioactive saffron constituents in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, both in experimental models and in clinical studies in patients. Currently, saffron supplementation is being tested for ocular neurodegenerative pathologies, such as diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, among others, and shows beneficial effects. Source: Beneficial effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in ocular pathologies, particularly neurodegenerative retinal diseases

 Curcumin (Curcuma longa) 20 mg

...the mechanisms of curcumin impact on oxidative stress, angiogenesis and inflammatory processes are described indicating that curcumin use may... restore body homeostasis. Its effectiveness was also proved for major eye diseases... such as glaucoma, cataract, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, corneal neovascularization, corneal wound healing, dry eye disease, conjunctivitis, pterygium, anterior uveitis.... [C]urcumin may be used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of various eye disorders. Source: Therapeutic potential of curcumin in eye diseases

Curcumin has found a role in slowing, and in some cases even reversing, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and retinal cancers. Source: Therapeutic potential of curcumin in major retinal pathologies

 Quercetin Dihydrate (Sophora japonica) 20 mg

We use the water-soluble Dihydrate form of Quercetin because it is about eight times more bioavailable than common Quercetin. "[Q]uercetin improved retinal deformation and increased the thickness of both the outer nuclear layer and inner nuclear layer.... Taken together, these results demonstrate that quercetin could protect retinal pigment epithelium and the retina from... cell apoptosis via reactive oxygen species-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction.... This suggests that quercetin can potentially prevent and delay AMD and other retinal diseases involving... apoptosis." Source: Protective Effect of Quercetin on Sodium Iodate-Induced Retinal Apoptosis through the Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Mitochondrion-Dependent Pathway

Quercetin inhibited the formation of CNV both in vivo and in vitro and increased choroidal blood flow. It could become a promising candidate for the treatment of AMD. Source: Effect of quercetin on formation of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration(AMD)

 Polyphenols (Camelia sinensis) 20 mg

...GTE and its catechin constituents are potent anti-oxidants that offer neuroprotection to the outer retinal degeneration... Source: Green tea catechins are potent anti-oxidants that ameliorate sodium iodate-induced retinal degeneration in rats

 Ginsenosides (Panax quinquefolius) 7 mg

...botanical compounds, including those extracted from ginseng, have been shown to possess beneficial effects in the treatment or prevention of common ocular diseases. Source: Ginseng for an eye: effects of ginseng on ocular diseases

 Salvianolic Acid 20% (Salvia miltiorrhiza) 10 mg

...Sal A protects RPE from lipid oxidative damage and chronic inflammation... Source: Salvianolic acid A protects retinal pigment epithelium from OX-LDL-induced inflammation in an age-related macular degeneration model

 C3G 40% (Oryza sativa) 10 mg

...C3G has great protective effects, highlighting future potential applications of C3G against AMD-associated inflammation. Source: Cyanidin-3-glucoside Alleviates 4-Hydroxyhexenal-Induced NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation via JNK-c-Jun/AP-1 Pathway in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells

 Trans-Resveratrol (Polygonum cuspidatum) 5 mg

Rare spontaneous remissions from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) suggest the human retina has large regenerative capacity, even in advanced age. We present examples of robust improvement of retinal structure and function using an OTC oral resveratrol (RV) based nutritional supplement... Source: Observation of human retinal remodeling in octogenarians with a resveratrol based nutritional supplement

 Bioavailability Factors: Fibonacci-inspired sequence of Ginkgo, Niacin, Licorice, Moringa, Gingerol, Piperine, & Vinpocetine.