June 19, 2024 – In a world where most persons are searching for Melatonin To ease sleepless nights or combat jet lag, could these little pills hold an unexpected key beyond the realm of sleep? Beyond their status as a sleep aid, melatonin supplements can have surprising potential: as a cure for vision damage.
In a study of greater than 120,000 people aged 50 or older with no history of age-related macular degeneration – probably the most common reason for severe vision loss in adults over 50, affecting about one in ten Americans – individuals who took melatonin supplements were less prone to develop the disease, in accordance with the JAMA Ophthalmology.
There are two kinds of AMD. Dry AMD – probably the most common – can occur when yellow deposits (so-called Druze) appear in your macula, or the central area of ​​your retina. If they grow or multiply, your vision can worsen. Wet AMD is the rarer, late-onset type of the disease that may cause more rapid vision loss. Loose blood vessels under your macula can leak blood and other fluids, which might affect your vision. The leaky blood vessels may also cause scarring, which might result in everlasting vision damage.
The study also checked out greater than 65,000 patients with dry AMD and located that taking melatonin was related to a lower likelihood of the disease developing into wet AMD. This effect could also be because of melatonin's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which could potentially stop processes that impair visual functions, said Rishi P. Singh, MD, an ophthalmologist on the Cleveland Clinic in Florida.
However, experts emphasize that the outcomes on melatonin and AMD must be viewed as a correlation, as the outcomes may be related to other aspects. For example, Cigarette smoking And High blood pressure each increase your risk of AMD.
“Next, we would need to confirm this in other large cohorts, and in a way that, more importantly, controls for cigarette smoking or hypertension, which could be confounding factors,” said Neil Bressler, MD, professor of ophthalmology on the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and editor-in-chief of JAMA Ophthalmology.
Although the therapeutic properties of melatonin may lead to slower progression or development of AMD, there shouldn't be enough information to categorise it as an official treatment, says Dr. Sunir Garg, spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and professor of ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital.
“People who are concerned about developing AMD should quit smoking, exercise at least 30 minutes three times a week, eat dark green leafy vegetables and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids three times a week, and see their eye doctor annually after age 40,” Garg said. “They should not take supplements such as melatonin for their eye health until we have more information.”
Still, the study results are a step in a promising direction, said Vicki Chan, MD, an ophthalmologist in Los Angeles.
“This was a retrospective study, so there is still a lot of work to be done, but it is definitely an exciting result – because melatonin is widely available and could be easily implemented.”