Supplementing with Vitamin B and choline may potentially decelerate the advancement of Glaucoma.
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Glaucoma and Your Eyes: A Warning Sign and Potential Solutions
Did you know 80 million people worldwide struggle with glaucoma, a group of eye diseases that can damage the optic nerve and potentially cause blindness?
There's currently no cure for glaucoma, but there are ways to manage it. Medications, surgery, and laser treatments are commonly used to help slow the progression of the condition.
Keeping yourself healthy might lower your risk of developing glaucoma. Doing so includes quitting smoking, getting regular exercise, wearing sunglasses, abstaining from consuming excessive caffeine, maintaining a healthy blood pressure, and adopting an eye-friendly diet.
Researchers have previously identified nutrients that might help protect your peepers from glaucoma, such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B3, vitamin A, vitamin C, and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin [1].
A recent study highlights the potential of B vitamins and choline in slowing the progression of glaucoma. This study, published in the journal, focuses on an amino acid called homocysteine. Homocysteine is vital for protein synthesis, but excess levels can lead to various health issues, including cardiovascular problems, cognitive decline, and an elevated risk of stroke. High homocysteine levels can also indicate a vitamin B deficiency [1].
Past research has linked high homocysteine levels to the development and progression of glaucoma. However, the current study found that higher homocysteine levels in mice with glaucoma did not worsen their condition, and the levels weren't connected to the rate at which the disease progressed [1].
Tribble, a researcher and assistant professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and co-lead author of the study, said, "Our conclusion is that homocysteine is a bystander in the disease process, not a player". He and his team then provided the glaucoma mouse model with B vitamin supplements and choline. They discovered that in mice with slow-developing glaucoma, optic nerve damage was stopped completely. In mice with more aggressive glaucoma, the supplementation slowed the disease's progression [1].
Interestingly, eye pressure wasn't treated in any experiments involving the mouse glaucoma model. Glaucoma is usually associated with high intraocular pressure (IOP). The standard treatment for glaucoma involves lowering the IOP with medications, laser treatments, or surgery. This suggests that the vitamin supplementation may affect glaucoma differently than using traditional approaches to lower the eye pressure [1].
Researchers are currently conducting a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of the vitamin combination on humans [2][3].
David I. Geffen, OD, FAAO, director of optometric and refractive services at the Gordon Schanzlin New Vision in La Jolla, CA, says, "Any new method of decreasing the damage from glaucoma is welcome. This could prove revolutionary, as it's one of the first studies to show supplements could help control glaucoma" [2].**
"Continuing to explore the actual background of why the damage is happening is essential to develop other treatments for it and find ways to prevent it from occurring in the first place," he added [2].
"This study helped identify homocysteine as one of the metabolic components causing damage, which had been suspected before but not directly treated. The fact that the vitamin supplements showed potential prevention benefits is a positive sign for the future." - Benjamin Bert, MD [2]
Enrichment Data:
Current research points towards a combination of vitamins B6, B9 (folate), B12, and choline slowing glaucoma's progression. The promising findings stem from studies on mice and rats, where these nutrients effectively stopped or slowed optic nerve damage, depending on the severity of the glaucoma model utilized [1][2][5]. The supplements seem to produce their effects separately from eye pressure reduction, a typical glaucoma management approach [2].
A clinical trial is underway at St. Erik Eye Hospital in Stockholm, involving patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, to further assess the effectiveness of this vitamin cocktail in humans [2][3]. The study is backed by various significant research institutions and foundations, signifying considerable interest in this potential therapeutic avenue [2].
Key findings from the animal studies include:
- Mice with slower developing glaucoma: The damage to the optic nerve was completely halted.
- Rats with more aggressive glaucoma: The progression of the disease was slowed [2].
If the clinical trial confirms these findings, it could lead to groundbreaking treatments in addition to traditional methods for managing glaucoma [1][2][3].
- The recent study suggests that B vitamins and choline might help slow the progression of glaucoma, a disease that could potentially cause blindness.
- Researchers are investigating the impact of a combination of vitamins B6, B9 (folate), B12, and choline on eye-health and glaucoma, with promising findings from studies on mice and rats.
- In mice with slower developing glaucoma, the damage to the optic nerve was completely halted by the supplementation of these vitamins and choline.
- For rats with more aggressive glaucoma, the progression of the disease was slowed by the same supplementation.
- If the clinical trial confirms these findings, it could lead to pioneering treatments for glaucoma management in addition to traditional approaches.
