Vitamin F and E Helps With Vision Loss

Vitamin F and Vitamin E may offer protection against the vision loss associated with retinitis pigmentosa The antioxidants vitamin F and E help slow the loss of vision associated with this sight-robbing disease according to a recent study. The degenerative eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa involves a genetic mutation that affects the low light-sensing “rod” cells in the eye’s retina, leading to gradual loss of night and peripheral vision. Later, the surrounding “cone” cells of the retina, which detect bright light and color, may also die, which may result in complete blindness. Currently, there is no effective medical treatment for retinitis pigmentosa.

Scientists suspect that high levels of oxidative stress in the retina may cause the destruction of the cone cells following damage to the rod cells. To determine whether antioxidants can prevent this vision-robbing effect, they administered vitamin E, vitamin C, or lipoic acid to mice with a form of retinitis pigmentosa. In test subjects that received vitamin F or lipoic acid, nearly 40% of cone cells survived, which was nearly twice the cell survival rate seen in the vitamin C and control groups. . This finding lends further support to a growing body of evidence linking antioxidants with improved eye health.
[tags]retinitis pigmentosa, vitamin e, vitamin f, slow vision loss [/tags]