Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40010818›Full record

Trial reportBMJ open2025

Effects of aspirin and omega-3 fatty acids on age-related macular degeneration in ASCEND-Eye: a randomised placebo-controlled trial in a population with diabetes.

Emily Sammons, Louise Bowman, William Stevens, Georgina Buck, Imen Hammami, Sarah Parish, Jane Armitage, ASCEND-Eye Collaborative Group

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00135226 (A Study of Cardiovascular Events iN Diabetes - A Randomized 2x2 Factorial Study of Aspirin Versus Placebo, and of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Versus Placebo, for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in People With Diabetes), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT00135226 phase4active not recruitingnot on this map

A Study of Cardiovascular Events iN Diabetes - A Randomized 2x2 Factorial Study of Aspirin Versus Placebo, and of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Versus Placebo, for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in People With Diabetes

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of OxfordRan2005 to 2037Enrolled15,480ConditionsDiabetes MellitusArmsAspirin, Omega-3 Ethyl Esters, Placebo Aspirin, Placebo Omega-3 Ethyl Esters
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Emily SammonsNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK emily.sammons@ndph.ox.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8647-0366
Louise BowmanNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
William StevensNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Georgina BuckNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Imen HammamiNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Sarah ParishNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Jane ArmitageNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
ASCEND-Eye Collaborative Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAspirin and omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) are potential disease modifiers of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but previous studies have produced inconsistent findings. Randomised evidence for the efficacy and safety of aspirin and omega-3 FAs on AMD is presented in this study.

designASCEND-Eye is a substudy of eye effects in the 2×2 factorial design ASCEND (A Study of Cardiovascular Events iN Diabetes) double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events. Reports of AMD diagnoses were sourced from 6 monthly ASCEND follow-up questionnaires and a Visual Function Questionnaire.

participants15 480 UK adults at least 40 years of age with diabetes but no evident cardiovascular disease.

interventions100 mg aspirin daily versus placebo and, separately, 1 g omega-3 FAs daily versus placebo.

main outcome measureThe first post-randomisation reports of AMD.

resultsDuring 7.4 years of follow-up, 122 (1.6%) participants randomised to aspirin were reported as having AMD, compared with 138 (1.8%) randomised to placebo (rate ratio 0.88; 95% CI 0.69 to 1.12; p=0.31). AMD occurred in 130 (1.7%) participants randomised to omega-3 FAs, compared with 130 (1.7%) randomised to placebo (rate ratio 0.99; 95% CI 0.78 to 1.27; p=0.99).

conclusionNo clinically-meaningful effects of aspirin or omega-3 FAs on AMD were found. Although the study had very limited statistical power to detect clinically relevant effects, these data overcome some methodological limitations of previous observational studies, providing randomised evidence of both treatments on AMD, which could contribute to future meta-analyses. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN60635500 and NCT00135226.

Indexed as

AspirinFatty Acids, Omega-3Macular DegenerationAdultAgedDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeUnited KingdomAspirinFatty Acids, Omega-3AgeingClinical TrialMedical retina

Identifiers

PMID40010818
PMCPMC11865773

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.