Vitamin help for glaucoma and elevated eye pressure

Often glaucoma causes no symptoms until the disease has advanced.  When symptoms occur they manifest as:

· Blurred vision.

· Blind spots (eventually leading to total blindness)

· Impaired night vision.

· Impaired peripheral vision.

Sometimes glaucoma occurs as a side effect of diabetes.

 

For a perspective on supplements that lower eye pressure based on self-tonometry research, see this article:

 

 

Rationale:

Vitamin C has been shown to significantly lower intraocular pressure in many glaucoma patients (including those who were unresponsive to the usual pharmaceutical drugs used for the treatment of glaucoma).

Dosage:

1,000 – 3,000 mg per day.

See Continuing the Vitamin C discussion

 

Rationale:

Elevated levels of the amino acid named glutamic acid levels are a suspected cause of glaucoma.  Vitamin E helps to counteract glutamic acid toxicity and may thereby help to prevent glaucoma.

Vitamin E added to regular glaucoma medication improves visual field in the majority of glaucoma patients.

Dosage:

400 – 800 IU per day.

 

Rationale:

A clinical study found that one month of treatment with 150 mg per day of lipoic acid improved visual acuity, visual field, and color discrimination in 47% of glaucoma patients.

Dosage:

150 mg per day.

 

Rationale:

Damage to the collagen structure of the eye is one of the underlying causes of glaucoma.  Bilberry’s active constituents, anthocyanosides, strengthen the integrity of collagen structures in the eye.  Bilberry’s anthocyanosides show promise for the prevention and treatment of glaucoma.

In a small clinical study, a single dose of bilberry anthocyanosides resulted in some improvement in glaucoma patients. EDITOR: this study is not reliable. FitEyes testing reveals Bilberry does not reduce intraocular pressure.

Dosage:

120 - 480 mg per day (using bilberry extract standardized to contain 25% of the active constituents, anthocyanosides).

See Effect of Bilberry and Pine Bark Extracts on Improving Ocular Blood Flow and Lowering IOP

 

Rationale:

Forskolin has been shown to lower intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.  This occurs via forskolin increasing the activity of the enzyme adenylate cyclase.

Dosage:

10 –20 mg per day.

 

Rationale:

ALC is a useful therapy for the prevention of glaucoma.  It helps to prevent the process known as cross-linking which initiates the damage to the optic nerve that is implicit in glaucoma.

Dosage:

500 - 1,500 mg per day in young people.

1,500 - 2,500 mg per day in healthy elderly people.

Alternatives:

L-Carnitine is a less expensive form of carnitine.

 

Rationale:

In a clinical study, glucosamine treatment was found to reduce high intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.  Some researchers believe that glucosamine’s effectiveness in the treatment of glaucoma may derive from it stabilizing collagen structures in the eyes.

Dosage:

1,500 mg per day.

 

Rationale:

Lutein helps to protect the optic nerve from damage and may therefore help to prevent some cases of glaucoma.  Low levels of lutein in the optic nerve may occur during the early phases of glaucoma.

Dosage:

3 – 30 mg per day.

 

RNA:
(Ribonucleic Acid)

Rationale:

Dr. Benjamin Frank (an acknowledged expert on the use of supplemental RNA) reported three cases of glaucoma patients able to discontinue their pilocarpine (a drug used for the treatment of glaucoma) therapy after RNA therapy.

Dosage:

500 – 2,000 mg per day.

 

Rationale:

Two years’ treatment with vinpocetine was found to result in stabilization of the condition of 80% of glaucoma patients.

Dosage:

20 – 30 mg per day.

 

Rationale:

Vitamin B12 helps to preserve eyesight in glaucoma patients.

In a clinical study, glaucoma patients received 1,500 mcg of vitamin B12 per day for five years.  The treatment resulted in a reduction in the loss of peripheral vision, more stable visual acuity and better control of eye fluid pressure.  The effects of vitamin B12 were attributed to its ability to preserve of myelin, which insulates nerve cells in the eyes.

Dosage:

1,500 mcg per day.

 

Rationale:

Magnesium (via its role as a calcium channel blocker) blocks the entry of calcium into cells, producing relaxation of constricted blood vessels in the eyes (which is beneficial for glaucoma patients).

In a clinical study, four weeks of magnesium supplementation improved blood circulation and visual field in glaucoma patients.

Dosage:

200 – 600 mg per day.

See Some glaucoma specialists are taking magnesium supplementation seriously

 

Rationale:

One of the underlying causes of glaucoma is the impairment of the collagen structures of the eyes.  Collagen is an important constituent of the structural component of the eyes and the maintenance of the structural integrity of the eyes’ collagen may be important for the prevention of chronic glaucoma.  Rutin strengthens and improves the integrity of collagen.

A clinical study demonstrated that 60 mg of rutin per day results in a reduction in intraocular pressure of 15% or more in 65% of glaucoma patients.

Dosage:

60 mg per day (or more).

 

Rationale:

Ginkgo biloba has been demonstrated to slightly improve visual field in glaucoma patients and to lower intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.

A study conducted on rats indicates that Ginkgo biloba may help to prevent glaucoma.

Dosage:

120 mg per day (of a 50:1 Ginkgo biloba product standardized to contain 24% Ginkgo flavonglycosides and 6.5% terpenes).

See Complementary Therapy for the Treatment of Glaucoma by Robert Ritch

 

Rationale:

Animal studies have shown that melatonin lowers intraocular pressure.  Therefore melatonin may help to prevent and treat glaucoma.

Dosage:

1 - 3 mg per night.  Do not consume melatonin during the daytime, as it is a powerful sedative.

See Melatonin: a novel neuroprotectant for the treatment of glaucoma.

 

 

The medical director of the glaucoma foundation claims that exercise reduces eye pressure in glaucoma patients.  Do not perform exercise that involving placing the body upside down.

See Weight Lifting Lowers My Eye Pressure

 

Glaucoma patients exhibit an abnormally high concentration of glutamic acid in the vicinity of the optic nerve.  MSG is a significant contributor to elevated glutamic acid levels.

See Effect of Diet and Other Environmental Factors on IOP

 

ALC (Acetyl-L-Carnitine)

· The Directory of Life Extension Supplements.  Life Extension Media.  Florida, USA.  2000:102.

Bilberry

· Caselli, L.  Clinical and electroretinographic study on activity of anthocyanosides.  Arch Med Int.  37:29-35, 1985.

Forskolin

· Zeng, S., et al.  Experimental studies of the effect of Forskolin on the lowering of intraocular pressure.  Yen Ko Hsueh Pao.  11(3):173-176, 1995.

Ginkgo biloba

· Quaranta, L., et al.  Effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on preexisting visual field damage in normal tension glaucoma.  Ophthalmology.  110(2):359-362, 2003.

Glucosamine

· McCarty, M. F.  Primary open angle glaucoma may be a hyaluronic acid deficiency disease: potential for glucosamine in prevention and therapy.  Med Hypoth.  51:483-484, 1998.

Lipoic Acid

· Filina, A. A., et al.  Lipoic acid as a means of metabolic therapy of open-angle glaucoma.  Vestnik Oftalmologii, 111:6-8, 1995.

Lutein

· Schweitzer, D., et al.  Spectrometric investigations in ocular hypertension and early stages of primary open angle glaucoma and of low-tension glaucoma - multisubstance analysis.  Int Ophthamol.  16:251-257, 1992.

Magnesium

· Gaspar, A. Z., et al.  The influence of magnesium on visual field and peripheral vasospasm in glaucoma.  Ophthalmologica.  209(1):11-13, 1995.

Melatonin

· Pintor, J., et al.  Ocular hypotensive effects of melatonin receptor agonists in the rabbit: further evidence for an MT3 receptor.  Br J Pharmacol.  138(5):831-836, 2003.

RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)

· Dean, W.  Potential therapeutic uses of ribonucleic acid.  Vitamin Research News.  18(1), 2004.

Rutin

· Stocker, F. W.  New ways of influencing the intraocular pressure.  New York State Journal of Medicine.  49:58-63, 1949.

Vinpocetine

· Pliushko, D. G., et al.  Drug therapy of initial open-angle glaucoma.  Oftalmol Zh.  2:72.74, 1989.

Vitamin B12

· Sakai T, et al.  Effect of long-term treatment of glaucoma with vitamin B12.  Glaucoma.  14:167-70, 1992.

Vitamin C

· Aleksidze, A. T., et al.  [Effect of the ascorbic acid of the aqueous humor on the lipid peroxidation process in the eye in primary open-angle glaucoma].  Oftalmol Zh.  2:114-116, 1989.

Vitamin E

· Birich, T. V., et al.  [Vitamin E in the complex treatment of patients with primary glaucoma.]  Vestn Oftalmol.  102(2):10-13, 1986.

The information presented in thistopic is for informational purposes only. The publisher does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information or the consequences arising from the application, use, or misuse of any of the information contained in this topic. Also neither the publisher nor this website make any warranties or representations with respect to the completeness and accuracy of the information contained within this topic. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Users should consult a health professional about any information presented here to determine its suitability for their condition before applying the information to any particular health circumstance or substitute for a physician's evaluation or treatment.

Copyright (c) 2004 Nutrition-Works. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for any commercial purposes.