Cataracts and Vitamin D - many studies

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12+ VitaminDWiki pages with CATARACTS in title

This list is automatically updated

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Association between vitamin D level and cataract: A systematic review and meta-analysis - Aug 2024

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Zhenzhen Jue, Ziming Xu, Vincent L. Yuen, Odessa Dik San Chan & Jason C. Yam

Purpose
The association between serum vitamin D level and cataract remains controversial. This study aims to evaluate the association between vitamin D level and cataract.

Methods
In this study, articles in the PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases were searched up to 30 August 2023 and 626 articles were screened. Four studies involving a total of 10,928 subjects with cataract and 10,117 control subjects met the inclusion criteria.

Results
Decreased serum vitamin D level was associated with higher incidence of cataract (P = 0.047; MD: -4.87; 95%CI: [-9.67, -0.07]). In the subgroup analysis by sex, a significant association was found between serum vitamin D level and cataract in both male (P = 0.01, MD: -2.15,95%CI: [-3.83, -0.46]) and female (P < 0.01; MD: -6.67,95%CI: [-8.20, -5.14]).
In the subgroup analysis by the types of cataract, significant association was found between serum vitamin D level and nuclear (P < 0.01; MD: -10.48; 95%CI: [-12.72, -8.24]) and posterior subcapsular cataract (P = 0.02; MD: -6.05; 95%CI: [-11.30, -0.80]) but not in cortical cataract (P = 0.14; MD: -6.74; 95%CI: [-15.70, 2.22]).

Conclusion
This meta-analysis revealed potential association between serum vitamin D level and cataract, more significant in female, and the subtypes of nuclear and posterior subcapsular cataract.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

60K monthly of vitamin D was not enough to reduce the risk of cataracts - clipped from PDF

In a recent randomized controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive regular high-dose
vitamin D supplement (60,000 IU once per month) or placebo, and were followed up for a median duration of approximately 5 years.
The results showed no signifcant diference in cataract surgery rates between the experimental group and the placebo group https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2022.09.015. We found that high-level serum Vitamin D reduced the risk of cataract, indicating a potential role of vitamin D supplementation in ophthalmologic practice. (behind paywall)

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VitaminDWiki – Vision category contains

• 12% larger pupils in children who are Vitamin D deficient – Feb 2024 parasympathetic nervous system?
• Myopia, AMD, Dry Eye, and Diabetic Retinopathy are all associated with low Vitamin D - April 2023
• An ocular disease can be associated with low vitamin D and 1 of 5 poor vitamin D genes – June 2022
• Eye vitamin D may not be associated with blood VitD, but is associated with CYP27B1 and CYP24A1 – Nov 2019
• Vitamin D treats and prevents a variety of eye problems (need 70 ng) – June 2018
• Vitamin D and Myopia, AMD, Diabetic Retinopathy, Uveitis, Glaucoma, VDR etc. – May 2015
• Tears often have 25 % higher levels of vitamin D than does blood

Vision problems having many studies on VitaminDWiki

• Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Vitamin D - many studies
• Cataracts and Vitamin D - many studies
• Diabetic Retinopathy associated with low Vitamin D - many studies
• 7+ studies of Glaucoma and Vitamin D
• 21+ studies of Myopia and Vitamin D

110 items in Vision category

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Glutathione (master anti-oxidant) should reduce the risk of cataracts (Perplexity AI Oct 2024)

Glutathione appears to play an important role in reducing the risk of cataracts:
Glutathione's Protective Effects
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the lens of the eye from oxidative damage, which is a major contributor to cataract formation   1 3
Some key points about glutathione and cataracts:

• Glutathione levels are significantly lower in lenses with cataracts compared to healthy lenses

1

• It is considered one of the most important antioxidants for ocular health, reacting directly with oxidants and free radicals  2
• Glutathione helps reduce oxidative stress in the lens, which is a key factor in cataract development  3

Mechanisms of Action
Glutathione protects the lens through several mechanisms:

• It detoxifies oxidants and free radicals that can damage lens proteins  1
• It works synergistically with vitamin C to promote eye health  2
• Glutathione improves the antioxidant capacity of ascorbate (vitamin C) in the lens  3

Challenges with Supplementation
While glutathione shows promise for cataract prevention, there are some challenges with direct supplementation:

• It's unclear if glutathione eye drops can effectively penetrate the cornea to reach the lens

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• Oral glutathione supplements may have limited bioavailability  4

Alternative Approaches
Some alternative strategies to boost glutathione levels and protect against cataracts include:

• Using precursors like N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) to boost glutathione production  4  5
• Activating the NRF2 pathway, which regulates glutathione synthesis, through compounds like sulforaphane  4
• Ensuring adequate intake of other antioxidants like vitamin C and E, which work alongside glutathione   2  3

While more research is needed, maintaining healthy glutathione levels appears to be an important factor in reducing cataract risk. A diet rich in antioxidants and potentially targeted supplementation may help support lens health and glutathione function.

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VitaminDWiki - Glutathione and Vitamin D synergism - many studies

Liposomal form is very bio-available

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