My educational background is a PhD in biochemistry/molecular biology.
The problem with trying to present a general truth, is that there is always a pathological process that makes exceptions to the truth.
Human beings did not evolve popping megavitamins; it makes utterly no sense to assume that a healthy individual should need to pop megavitamins to remain healthy, when that is not how we evolved.
Unfortunately, too many people assume that because something is true within a pathological context, it must be generally true—and that is not the case at all. Diabetics must severely limit their intake of sugar; that does not mean that everyone needs such drastic limits. With the disclaimer that I have not read any studies regarding the role of antioxidant vitamins in slowing the progress of macular degeneration, and so cannot judge their reliability, I’ll just say that because taking megadoses of these vitamins has a beneficial effect in your case, does not mean that it would be equally beneficial to people without your condition.
While we have a much more healthy variety and abundance of 'healthy foods' in our current epoch, we also have an abundance of carcinogenic and mutagenetic chemicals in our environment which are man-made and not a part of the earlier epochs. Supplementation can be benenficial in dealing with these dangerous chemicals.
I will agree with your statement here..."studies are bunk"..unless the person in question has read them.
I've got to the point if someone tells me they drink 10 glasses of carrot juice a day..and they have done it for years...and they just became as smart as algore now..and they are never sick. I'm all for it.
FWIW-