A recent study by Karolinska Institutet reveals that specific vitamin supplements can slow down the progression of glaucoma, offering hope for effective non-invasive treatments.
A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in Cell Reports Medicine, has unveiled that vitamin supplements can significantly decelerate the progression of glaucoma, a disease that progressively damages the optic nerve and can lead to vision loss or blindness.
Glaucoma is typically managed by lowering eye pressure through eye drops, laser treatments or surgery, though these methods yield variable results.
The new research now suggests that targeting eye metabolism with vitamins B6, B9, B12 and choline could offer a new avenue for treatment.
Investigating Metabolic Pathways
The researchers focused on homocysteine, a substance believed to be linked to glaucoma. However, they discovered that elevated levels of homocysteine didn’t correlate with disease progression.
“Our conclusion is that homocysteine is a bystander in the disease process, not a player,” co-lead author James Tribble, an assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet, said in a news release.
Key abnormalities in metabolic pathways involving homocysteine were identified, particularly affecting the retina’s ability to utilize certain vitamins. This led to a critical insight: the retina’s slowed metabolism may contribute to disease development.
Encouraging Experimental Results
In rodent experiments, administering vitamin B6, B9, B12 and choline supplements yielded promising results.
For mice with slower-progressing glaucoma, optic nerve damage was entirely halted, while in rats with a more aggressive form, the disease progression significantly slowed.
Interestingly, these positive outcomes were observed even without treating eye pressure, indicating the vitamins might influence glaucoma through a novel mechanism.
“The results are so promising that we have started a clinical trial, with patients already being recruited at S:t Eriks Eye Hospital in Stockholm,” added Tribble.
The ongoing trial includes patients with both primary open-angle glaucoma, which progresses slowly, and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, which has a faster rate of progression.
Source: Karolinska Institutet