Cataracts: Breakthrough eye drops help prevent and treat the disease

Imagine what it would be like to spend your life looking through a waterfall. Your vision would be distorted and incoming light would have great difficulty reaching your eye. This is exactly how 20 million of the world�s population views the world around them. They all suffer from cataracts, which in Greek means �waterfall�. 

According to recent estimates, as many as 1 in 4 people over the age of 65 have some form of cataract and, alarmingly, some doctors believe that if we live long enough we will all eventually develop the condition.

Cataracts form when crystallins (proteins inside the lens of the eye) become damaged. This can happen as a result of a process called glycation, whereby sugar molecules attach themselves to crystallins � causing them to twist, bend and clump together. This has a detrimental affect on the lens, which clouds over, loses its transparency and becomes less elastic. Incoming light is then scattered and blocked by these abnormal proteins, and is unable to reach the retina, where visual stimulation takes place (Ref. 1).         

      
Crystallins can also come under attack by free radicals (toxic by-products of everyday metabolism) � a process known as oxidation. Again, this results in abnormal clumping and twisting of these proteins, and leads to impaired vision.

Other factors include a genetic predisposition to the condition, steroid drugs (which can result in a chemical reaction that accelerates the destruction of the proteins) and diabetes (glycation in �fast forward� mode).

Given how common and debilitating this problem is, HSI was excited to learn about Brite Eyes 3 eye drops that have not only been found to be successful at warding off cataracts but can even reverse existing cases of the disease and reduce the need for surgery. This is extremely good news, as surgery carries with it the risk of side effects such as bleeding and infection. In addition, incomplete removal of the cataract can require further surgery and in some cases patients are left with permanently reduced vision.

Cataracts: 90% of cataract patients experienced significant improvements in their vision

The development of Brite Eyes 3 eye drops came about following research that revealed how carnosine � a natural compound found in many of your body�s tissues � can prevent both oxidation and glycation in the eyes (Ref. 2).

However, the drawback with carnosine is that it is quickly inactivated if applied directly to the eyes, so scientists came up with a special molecule called N-acetyl-carnosine (NAC) that has all the benefits of carnosine without the risk of being inactivated.

NAC has been the subject of several studies to assess its efficacy against age-related cataracts. The first study was performed back in 2001 when scientists examined two groups of volunteers, with an average age of 65, who were all suffering from cataracts. One group was treated with NAC eye drops, while the other group received inactive eye drops (placebo).

After six months of treatment, a staggering 90 per cent of patients showed an improvement which, in some instances, reached a complete cure. These benefits � which included better transmission of light through the lens, reduced sensitivity to glare and improved overall vision � persisted until the end of the study, which concluded two years later (Ref. 3).

Cataracts: Further tests yielded similar positive results

The same scientists repeated the study some years later and found similar results. For the purpose of this study, 65 older drivers suffering from cataracts were compared to 72 older drivers who did not have the condition.

The researchers administered NAC eye drops twice a day to some patients but not others. The study was �double-blind, placebo-controlled�, meaning that neither the patients nor the doctors knew who was receiving the active treatment. Instead, the results were checked by an independent third party.

After four months, the researchers found that the group receiving the active treatment showed significant improvements with regards to visual acuity, sensitivity to glare and other eye tests.

The scientists concluded that: �The results of this study provide a substantial basis for further evaluation of NAC in the treatment and prevention of vision impairment in the older population of drivers. The ophthalmic drug NAC showed potential for the non-surgical treatment of age-related cataract� (Ref. 4).

Cataracts: NAC eye drops can even help reverse your dog�s cataracts too

More recent research findings have also confirmed the benefits of NAC eye drops against cataracts. Scientists from the Department of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, in China, found that NAC eye drops are effective at fighting both the oxidation and glycation processes that can damage crystallins and compromise vision (Ref. 5).

In an animal study, scientists from the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, found that NAC eye drops were effective on several breeds of dogs with cataracts. It is well known that dog eyes are very similar to human eyes, and that any changes or benefits relating to a particular product used on dog eyes is virtually guaranteed to have a similar effect on human eyes too.

The scientists administered NAC eye drops three times a day to all of the dogs in the study and then examined their eyes at two, four and eight weeks. They found that significant improvements in relation to lens transparency took place, which resulted in improved vision especially in the early stages of the disease (Ref. 6).

Cataracts: What to take for best results

Put one or two drops of Brite Eyes 3 in the affected eye(s) as needed.

References:

1.  Biochem J. 2007 Aug 14; [Epub ahead of print]

2. Perit Dial Int. 2007;27(1):86-9

3. Peptides. 2001;22(6):979-94

4. Rejuvenation Res. 2004;7(3):186-98

5. Yan Ke Xue Bao. 2006 ;22(2):85-8

6. Vet Ophthalmol. 2006;9(5):311-6