PreserVision vs Ocuvite (2026): Buy PreserVision AREDS 2
PreserVision AREDS 2 is the clear winner. It has the full daily doses the National Eye Institute tested for macular degeneration (AMD). Ocuvite Adult 50+ does not. Bausch + Lomb makes both.
By Erin Rose Updated October 13, 2026 Methodology
Why PreserVision AREDS 2 wins
- It has the study doses. Each day you get 500 mg vitamin C, 180 mg vitamin E, 80 mg zinc, 2 mg copper, 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin. Those are the amounts in the National Eye Institute’s AREDS2 formula.
- Ocuvite is far below them. It has 9 mg of zinc instead of 80, 150 mg of vitamin C instead of 500, and half the lutein. No study tested Ocuvite’s formula.
- It has proof behind it. In the first AREDS study, these high doses cut the risk of advanced AMD by about 25% over five years in people with intermediate AMD. AREDS2 kept them and swapped beta-carotene for lutein and zeaxanthin.
What Ocuvite does better: it costs half as much a day ($0.26 vs $0.52), it is one pill instead of two, and it adds vitamin D and fish oil.
Want the same doses for less? Amazon Basics AREDS 2 lists the same six amounts for $0.31 a day. PreserVision costs more for its brand and its absorption claim; on the label, the doses match. Check Amazon Basics
The doses: Ocuvite has a fraction of the AREDS2 amounts
Here are the daily amounts side by side. Ocuvite’s extras are vitamin D and 250 mg of fish oil. AREDS2 tested 1,000 mg of fish oil and found it did not slow AMD.
| Per day | AREDS2 study | PreserVision AREDS 2 | Ocuvite Adult 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 500 mg | 500 mg | 150 mg |
| Vitamin E | 180 mg | 180 mg | 20 mg |
| Zinc | 80 mg | 80 mg | 9 mg |
| Copper | 2 mg | 2 mg | 1 mg |
| Lutein | 10 mg | 10 mg | 5 mg |
| Zeaxanthin | 2 mg | 2 mg | 1 mg |
| Vitamin D | None | None | 30 mcg |
| Omega-3 (fish oil) | None | None | 250 mg |
| Pills a day | — | 2 gels | 1 gel |
Even the lower zinc dose AREDS2 tried, 25 mg, is almost three times Ocuvite’s 9 mg. AREDS2 found no difference in results between 80 mg and 25 mg.
80 mg of zinc is twice the 40 mg daily upper limit for adults (NIH). Long-term high zinc can lower copper, which is why the formula adds 2 mg of copper. Take it on your eye doctor’s advice, not as an everyday vitamin.
Who the AREDS2 formula is for
The National Eye Institute (NEI) ran the AREDS and AREDS2 studies. Here is what its own guide says (NEI):
- It is for people with intermediate or late AMD. Those are the people it helped.
- It did not help people with early AMD or no AMD. That came from the first study, so AREDS2 did not test those groups. NEI also says, “Nutritional supplements cannot prevent AMD.”
- It is not a multivitamin. The doses are much higher than in a multivitamin, and NEI says the formula does not replace one.
- Smokers and former smokers: skip any formula with beta-carotene. Former smokers who took the original formula with beta-carotene had more lung cancer. PreserVision AREDS 2 and Ocuvite both have none.
Your eye doctor can tell you if you have AMD and what stage it is. That answer decides whether this formula is worth taking.
Price: Ocuvite costs less because it has less in it
A bottle of PreserVision lasts 60 days at 2 soft gels a day. A bottle of Ocuvite lasts 90 days at 1 a day. Ocuvite is cheaper because you are not buying the AREDS2 doses.
| Bottle | Price | Lasts | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| PreserVision AREDS 2, 120 soft gels | $30.99 | 60 days | $0.52 |
| Ocuvite Adult 50+, 90 soft gels | $23.47 | 90 days | $0.26 |
| Amazon Basics AREDS 2, 120 mini soft gels | $18.59 | 60 days | $0.31 |
Same formula for less: Amazon Basics AREDS 2
Amazon Basics AREDS 2 Formula lists the same six daily amounts as PreserVision AREDS 2, in the same forms (zinc oxide, cupric oxide, marigold extract), in 2 mini soft gels a day. Its label says “Compare to PreserVision AREDS 2.” It costs 40% less a day.
What you give up: the PreserVision name and its OCUSorb soft gel. PreserVision’s box says OCUSorb gives 2 times better absorption of lutein and zeaxanthin than its own older soft gel. That is the brand’s blood-level test from 2022, not a result from the eye studies. Neither bottle is on NSF’s testing lists. We compared the labels.
Check Amazon Basics AREDS 2 on Amazon
Is there an AREDS 3? Stick with AREDS 2 for now
Two different things now use the name.
- AREDS3 the product. Bausch + Lomb launched PreserVision AREDS3 in May 2026. It keeps the AREDS2 nutrients and adds eight B vitamins. No trial has tested it; the company says it plans one.
- AREDS3 the study. The National Eye Institute is planning a new study that will include B vitamins. Its lead researcher told Healio the supplement it tests “will not be PreserVision AREDS3 specifically.”
Our call: buy AREDS 2. The B vitamins are not proven for AMD yet, and AREDS3 costs $0.80 a day ($23.97 for 60 soft gels, 1 twice a day) against $0.52 for PreserVision AREDS 2. If you still want it: check AREDS3 on Amazon.
What the PreserVision label says
Directions: 2 soft gels a day with food, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening.
How we checked this
We read the PreserVision panel from NIH’s label file (DSLD 246688). For Ocuvite we used the current “Now with Vitamin D” panel on a Costco listing, because its ingredient list matches the photo on today’s Amazon listing word for word. NIH’s Ocuvite label is an older 2019 version without vitamin D, so we did not use it. The Amazon Basics amounts come from the label photo on its Amazon listing. On October 12, 2026 we searched NSF’s lists for Bausch + Lomb, PreserVision and Ocuvite and found none. USP and Informed Choice blocked our searches, so we could not check them.
Who should buy which
- Your eye doctor said AREDS2, or you have intermediate AMDPreserVision AREDS 2
It has the study doses at $0.52 a day, and no beta-carotene, so it suits smokers and former smokers too. Check price
- You want the AREDS2 doses for lessAmazon Basics AREDS 2
Same label amounts at $0.31 a day. Check price
- You want vitamin D and fish oil in one daily pillOcuvite Adult 50+
It adds 30 mcg of vitamin D and 250 mg of omega-3. Just know it is not the AREDS2 formula. Check price
- Your eyes are healthy and you want to protect themMaybe neither
The first study found no benefit for people without AMD. Your eye doctor can tell you if that changes. More on the research: what AREDS2 studied.
More: lutein and zeaxanthin on their own, zinc and omega-3. This page is not medical advice.
Questions
Is Ocuvite an AREDS2 formula?
No. Ocuvite Adult 50+ has the same kinds of nutrients but not the AREDS2 amounts, and it was not tested in the AREDS or AREDS2 studies. Bausch + Lomb sells PreserVision AREDS 2 as its AREDS2 product.
Which is better for macular degeneration, PreserVision or Ocuvite?
PreserVision AREDS 2, if your eye doctor says you have intermediate or late AMD. Those are the people the AREDS and AREDS2 formulas helped, and PreserVision has those doses. Ocuvite does not.
Can PreserVision prevent macular degeneration?
No. The National Eye Institute says nutritional supplements cannot prevent AMD. The first study found no benefit for people with early AMD or no AMD. NEI says the formula may delay intermediate AMD from becoming advanced.
Is there an AREDS 3?
As a product, yes; as a study, not yet. PreserVision AREDS3 (May 2026) adds eight B vitamins to the AREDS2 nutrients, and no trial has tested it. We would buy AREDS 2: it has the study doses and costs $0.52 a day against $0.80.
Can I take PreserVision with a multivitamin or with Ocuvite?
NEI says the AREDS2 formula does not replace a multivitamin. Adding Ocuvite on top would mostly add more zinc you do not need, plus vitamin D and a little fish oil. Ask your eye doctor before you combine them.
Sources
- Labels: NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database 246688 (PreserVision AREDS 2, 120 soft gels); Ocuvite Adult 50+ current panel on the Costco listing (older NIH label DSLD 208339, 2019). Amazon listings for PreserVision AREDS 2, Ocuvite Adult 50+, Amazon Basics AREDS 2 and PreserVision AREDS3, read November 6, 2026.
- National Eye Institute. AREDS/AREDS2 Frequently Asked Questions (who benefited, the AREDS2 formula table, zinc 80 vs 25 mg, smokers).
- Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group. “A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose supplementation with vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and zinc for age-related macular degeneration and vision loss: AREDS report no. 8.” Archives of Ophthalmology. 2001. PubMed 11594942
- Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 Research Group. “Lutein + zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids for age-related macular degeneration: the AREDS2 randomized clinical trial.” JAMA. 2013. PubMed 23644932
- Chew EY, et al. “Long-term Outcomes of Adding Lutein/Zeaxanthin and ω-3 Fatty Acids to the AREDS Supplements on Age-Related Macular Degeneration Progression: AREDS2 Report 28.” JAMA Ophthalmology. 2022. PubMed 35653117
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Zinc fact sheet (upper limit 40 mg a day for adults).
- AREDS3: Optometry Times, May 20, 2026 (launch); Healio, June 22, 2026 (NEI’s planned study and Dr. Emily Chew’s comments). Directions (1 soft gel twice a day): retail listing.