- Mice fed water with vitamin B3 had healthier eyes for longer, reducing their risk
- This may offer an inexpensive and safe treatment for glaucoma sufferers
- Researchers also found a single gene therapy may offer a one-off treatment
Adding vitamin B3 to water may protect you against glaucoma, a study reveals.
In a study on mice, scientists found it helped to keep their eyes healthier for longer – reducing their risk of developing the condition.
Experts say the findings could point to a cheap and safe treatment option for older people, instead of relying on eye drops .
Adding vitamin B3 to water may keep eyes healthier for longer, new research has found (stock)
Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine added the vitamin to the water of mice who were genetically predisposed to glaucoma.
Results revealed it kept their eyes healthier for longer and provided remarkable protection against glaucoma compared to those given plain water.
Study author Dr Pete Williams said: ‘Because these (eye) cells are still healthy, and still metabolically robust, even when high pressure turns on, they better resist the damaging processes.’
The researchers also found that a single gene therapy application of the enzyme responsible for giving brain cells energy prevented glaucoma in the mice.
Experts say the findings could point to a cheap and safe treatment option for preventing glaucoma in older people
Dr Williams added: ‘It can be a problem for patients, especially the elderly, to take their drugs every day and in the correct dose.
‘So gene therapy could be a one-shot, protective treatment.’
Across the world, glaucoma affects around 80 million people, with many currently relying on eye drops.
It usually occurs due to a build-up of pressure in the eye, which damages the optic nerve.
Those with a family history of the condition and people with other medical conditions such as diabetes, are at an increased risk.
Treatment includes eye drops, which can cause irritation and aren’t suitable for all patients.
In more severe cases, patients may undergo laser therapy, which can be painful, or surgery, which requires an anaesthetic.