For decades, it was known that Carnosine acted as a buffering agent in working muscles, and the only people who were interested in it were a few physiologists interested in its ability to keep muscles contracting.
But as research continued, the picture became more complex, and its biological role once thought to be well known, suddenly, became enigmatic.
It was found that Carnosine was also present in high concentrations in other tissues that last a lifetime but that don’t require its buffering properties.
Such tissues as nerve cells, the cells of the retina and the lens of the eye, and at only much lower concentrations in tissues that are constantly replaced, like skin cells and the lining of the intestines.
The first human trials of topical Carnosine supplementation for eye health were performed in patients with presbyopia, by researchers at Harbin Medical University, in the late 1990s.
Presbyopia is the creeping, age-related loss of flexibility in the lens of the eye that leads to difficulty in focusing the eyes on close-up objects.
It is a major cause of the deterioration of sight that accompanies aging, and the loss of flexibility, in turn, is in large part the result of age cross-links in the crystalline proteins of the lens.
So the test-tube experiments showing that Carnosine can prevent and even reverse the accumulation of advanced glycation end products, (AGEs), and related damage to crystallin’s structure, suggest that the use of topical Carnosine supplements might restore lens flexibility, easing the strain on the ciliary muscles, and improving vision.
Liquid Carnosine Eye Drop
Carnosine is a dipeptide formed by the joining together of two amino acids called l-histidine and beta-alanine.
Both carnosine and N-acetyl-carnosine are found as expected throughout the human body but are especially prevalent in the skeletal muscles.
Pure carnosine is currently used for impeding the effects of aging, and also used to prevent and treat the symptoms of diabetes mellitus, cataracts, nerve dysfunction, and kidney dysfunction.
Liquid carnosine eye drops are believed to support eye health and are being researched for their effects on cataract and other vision disorders.
Carnosine-based eye drops usually contain a form of carnosine called N-acetyl-carnosine (NAC), and research on NAC has shown that it can both prevent and treat cataracts.
N-acetyl-carnosine, NAC increases the eye lens’ ability to transmit to light rays, meaning that more light is able to pass through the lens. What this means in effect, is that cataract development may be partially or fully reversed.
Research on Liquid Carnosine for Vision
Clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of n-acetyl-carnosine, NAC for protecting eye health from some forms of degeneration related to aging.
In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled human trial, 1% N-acetyl-carnosine eye drops were administered twice daily (Each dose consisted of two drops).
Forty-nine subjects with an average age of 65 were observed, and all subjects had cataracts ranging in severity from mild to advanced, but not yet to the point where surgery was suggested.
The result showed that eyes treated with liquid carnosine eye drops improved substantially, within 6 months, in terms of visual acuity (sharpness), sensitivities to glare, and cataract conditions.
The results showed the following:
- Sensitivity to glare decreased between 27 – 100% in 89% of subjects.
- Transmissivity increased between 12 – 50% in 42 % of subjects, or eyes treated
- Visual acuity improved between 7 – 100% in 90% of eyes treated.
These progresses to vision were sustainable for an additional 18 months of observation with continued daily dosing, and no symptoms in any treated eye worsened.
However, conditions worsened for all eyes that received a placebo.
Liquid carnosine eye drops are also effective for delaying vision deterioration due to aging.
A human investigation has shown N-acetyl-carnosine eye drops to be 80% effective for treating cases of mature senile cataracts and 100% effective for treating primary senile cataracts.
Conclusion
The results of trials done on the use of carnosine eye drops can only be described as ground-breaking.
For the first time, simple eye drop treatments were shown to improve the vision of cataract victims and to actually reverse the clouding of the lens.
Amazingly, this treatment is not a drug, but a substance naturally present in the body and essential to its health.
With Carnosine’s wide-ranging powers, and N-Acetyl-L-Carnosine’s ability to bring those benefits to a wider range of eye tissues, a lot is to be reaped from this product.