Antioxidants in the Prevention and Management of Eye Diseases   In recent years a number of animal studies, epidemiological studies and small intervention trials of human subjects have suggested that certain antioxidants may significantly reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. These studies also indicate that high-dose antioxidant supplementation may halt or retard the further progression of these conditions if introduced during early- stage disease.   For years there has been much debate on this subject among top-ranking researchers and ophthalmologists. In spite of the encouraging results reported in some studies, the official position statement of these authorities indicated inconclusive evidence to support the clinical use of antioxidant supplementation in high-risk patients and for the population at large, in regards to the prevention and management of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.   However, the positive outcomes reported in several small trials prompted the National Eye Institute (NEI) to sponsor a large multicenter trial aimed at determining whether antioxidant supplementation is a useful intervention in age-related macular degeneration. The much-anticipated results of this study, known as the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), were published in October 2001 in the Archives of Ophthalmology.