A recent study from researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden recently returned some very encouraging results. What they found was that Vitamin B and choline supplements could prevent and/or slow the progression of glaucoma. This federal research is especially coincidental. Since its bilateral effects can lead to irreversible blindness, glaucoma is a key public health concern that affects nearly 80 million people worldwide. As previously reported, the study used an early glaucoma mouse model to evaluate the effects of these supplements.
Glaucoma covers a group of eye diseases that can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve. This damage frequently results in irreversible vision loss or blindness. It’s a progressive condition, which means it gets worse as time goes on. Conventional therapies mostly involve prescription eye drops and/or surgical intervention to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP). This study suggests that there are other metabolic factors at play in driving the progression of the disease.
James Tribble, a researcher involved in the study, emphasized the role of homocysteine, stating, “Our conclusion is that homocysteine is a bystander in the disease process, not a player.” His studies were aimed at understanding the effects of increased or decreased homocysteine. He found that these changes can indicate the retina’s inability to use crucial vitamins to maintain normal cellular metabolism. Therefore, the team wanted to know if taking Vitamin B supplements day-to-day could provide protective benefits to the retina.
Benjamin Bert, MD, a commentator on the research, expressed optimism regarding these developments: “And with the vitamin supplements showing some prevention benefit, that’s an exciting thing for us to be able to have on the horizon.” He told them the unfortunate truth that today’s treatments only seek to lower eye pressure. To truly develop the therapies needed to stop glaucoma’s progression, we must understand its underlying causes.
Dr. Bert elaborated further, stating, “Right now, the only treatments that we have for glaucoma specifically are eye drops and surgeries to lower the eye pressure. We’re discovering more and more that there are other factors that can actually cause the progression of glaucoma.” As a result, he stressed that learning about the history of the disease is important. Understanding this is key for informing preventive approaches and discovery of alternative treatment modalities.
We were pleased to have David I. Geffen, OD, FAAO, share his thoughts on what this study means. He focused in on its ability to disrupt glaucoma management going forward. “Any new method of decreasing the damage from glaucoma is a welcome addition to our ability to save eyesight,” he stated. He further described this research as revolutionary: “This could be revolutionary in that it is one of the first studies to show supplements will help control glaucoma.”
Despite these promising findings, researchers caution that longer-term studies involving actual glaucoma patients are necessary to confirm the effectiveness of Vitamin B and choline supplements. The large and increasing population of patients afflicted with glaucoma requires we continue to seek new therapeutic modalities for this sight-stealing disease.
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