in terms of enhanced contrast sensitivity in subjects with early amd. an important and novel finding rests on the observation that sustained supplementation with the macular carotenoids seems necessary to maximally augment mp and to optimize contrast sensitivity over a 3-year period in patients with early amd". in 2016 and 2017, two major clinical trials were published in the international journal, investigative ophthalmology & visual science (iovs). these studies were funded by the european research council (ref: 281096). the first trial, the crest (central retinal enrichment supplementation trials) normal study involved 105 volunteers who underwent a series of complex tests of vision and were supplemented over a 12-month period. of the 105 subjects, 53 received daily active supplements containing meso-zeaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin, while 52 subjects received a placebo (the control group). the outcome unequivocally demonstrates that those receiving macular carotenoids – lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin – enjoyed meaningful benefits to their visual function. the improvement recorded was primarily in people’s contrast sensitivity – how much contrast a person needs to see a target (i.e. how faint an object can you see).this work demonstrates important implications for those who rely on their vision for professional reasons, such as high-performance sportspeople (most obviously golfers, cricketers, tennis and baseball players), motorists, train drivers, pilots, and police. the second trial, crest amd was a major two-year trial involving over 100 people diagnosed with the early stages of amd, and has shown an improvement in the vision of those taking a dietary supplement of carotenoids. those living with amd would usually have been expected to experience a continued deterioration in their vision over the two years of the clinical trial. instead, those receiving carotenoids showed a significant improvement across 24 out of 32 tests of vision. 35% of trial participants had what is deemed to be a clinically meaningful improvement in their vision after 24 months, but only in the active supplement containing meso-zeaxanthin. improvements in vision were particularly marked among those receiving all three carotenoids compared to those receiving only zeaxanthin and lutein. the research was conducted by a team from the nutrition research centre ireland (nrci) at waterford institute of technology (wit).