Abstract
The major eye diseases refractive error, cataract, age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness without an early intervention. The treatments include eye glasses for refractive error, surgery for cataract, and medications for glaucoma and ARMD. These therapies do not address oxidative stress and inflammation that contribute to these eye diseases. Therefore, supplementation with antioxidants could be useful. However, administration with single or multiple dietary antioxidants with or without carotenoids (zeaxanthin and lutein), and omega-3-fatty acids, produced no benefits or only modest benefits in certain eye diseases. The problems associated with such antioxidant’s approaches were identified, and potential causes for not producing optimal benefits were presented. The major objectives are to show that enhanced oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to the age-related major eye diseases. This review presents rationales for using a comprehensive mixture of micronutrients containing dietary and endogenous antioxidants, vitamin D3, and carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, all B-vitamins, and minerals Zn and Se for simultaneously reducing oxidative and inflammatory damage. Since elevated levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are found in the wet ARMD and diabetic retinopathy, this mixture has ingredients, which reduce VEGF levels. Supplementation with this micronutrient mixture may delay the onset and progression of major eye diseases, and may improve the effectiveness of standard therapy.
Highlights
IntroductionThe major vision impairments include refractive error, cataract, age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness without an early intervention
The major eye diseases refractive error, cataract, age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness without an early intervention
The current practices for improving the eye-sight do not address the issue of increased levels of oxidative stress and inflammation that contribute to the onset and progression of these eye diseases
Summary
The major vision impairments include refractive error, cataract, age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness without an early intervention. In a highly myopic eye, lens is exposed to increased oxidative stress due to the presence of high concentration of oxygen, which contributes to the degeneration of the vitreous body leading to an early onset of cataract [4]. The lack of the full spectrum of micronutrients in the experimental designs may have contributed to minimal beneficial effects a comprehensive mixture of micronutrients containing dietary and endogenous antioxidants together with lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin, all B-vitamins, Se and Zn, which may simultaneously reduce oxidative and inflammatory damage is proposed Such a micronutrient mixture would delay the onset and progression of eye diseases, and may improve the efficacy of standard therapy
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