Health Matters 2/47
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Life Improvement & Awareness
REPORT
CARNOSINE and its use as a cataract treatment
From our investigations, we have reported that eye drops containing 20 mM carnosine were used to treat 96 patients aged 60 years old having senile cataract of various degrees of maturity, with the duration of the disease from 2 to 21 years. The method is that after stopping all other anti-cataract drugs, patients instilled 1-2 drops of the carnosine containing solution in each eye 3-4 times each day for a period of treatment ranging from 3-6 months. The level of eyesight improvement and the change of lens transparency were considered as an evaluation index of the curative effect of carnosine.
 
The results showed that carnosine gives a profound effect on primary senile cataract, the effective rate being 100%. For mature senile cataract, the effect rate is 80%, and positive effects were observed with other types of cataract.

It is significant that no side effect were found in the observed cases. During recent years carnosine drops, containing the same content, have also been applied to nearly 1,000 patients with senile cataract. Our research findings (see Bright Eyes Report) show similar results.

In addition, carnosine drops were adminstered to patients aged 48-60 years with various degrees of eyesight impairment but without symptoms of cataract. The course of treatment was from 2 to 6 months. The results demonstrate that carnosine appears to alleviate eye tiredness and comparatively improve eyesight (obviously improve eyesight, giving more clear vision). Subjects reported that carnosine could brighten and relax their eyes. It is an important point that all the above research on the medical application of carnosine has statistical significance.
 
Efficacy of N-acetylcarnosine in the treatment of cataracts:
Babizhayev MA, Deyev AI, Yermakova VN, Semiletov YA, Davydova NG, Doroshenko VS, Zhukotskii AV, Goldman IM.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of 1% N-acetylcarnosine (NAC) solution on lens clarity over 6 and 24 months in patients with cataracts. TRIAL DESIGN: Randomised, placebo-controlled study.

PARTICIPANTS: 49 subjects (76 affected eyes) with an average age of 65.3 +/- 7.0 years with a diagnosis of senile cataract with minimum to advanced opacification in various lens layers. METHODS: 26 patients (41 eyes) were allocated to topical NAC 1% eyedrops twice daily.

The control group consisted of 13 patients (21 eyes) who received placebo eyedrops and 10 patients (14 eyes) who did not receive eyedrops.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All patients were evaluated at entry and followed up every 2 months for a 6-month period (trial 1), or at 6-month intervals for a 2-year period (trial 2), for best-corrected visual acuity and glare testing. In addition, cataract was measured using stereocinematographic slit-images and retro-illumination examination of the lens. Digital analysis of lens images displayed light scattering and absorbing centres in two- and three-dimensional scales.

RESULTS: The overall intra-reader reproducibility of cataract measurements (image analysis) was 0.830, and glare testing 0.998. After 6 months, 90% of NAC-treated eyes showed improvement in best corrected visual acuity (7 to 100%) and 88.9% showed a 27 to 100% improvement in glare sensitivity.

Topographic studies indicated fewer areas of posterior subcapsular lens opacity and 41.5% of treated eyes had improvement in image analysis characteristics. The overall ratios of image analysis characteristics at 6 months compared with baseline measures were 1.04 and 0.86 for the control and NAC-treated group, respectively (p < 0.001). The apparent benefits of treatment were sustained after 24 months' treatment.

No treated eyes demonstrated worsening of vision. The overall visual outcome in the control group showed significant worsening after 24 months in comparison with both baseline and the 6-month follow-up examination. The overall clinical results observed in the NAC-treated group by the 24-month period of examination differed significantly (p < 0.001) from the control group in the eyes with cortical, posterior subcapsular, nuclear or combined lens opacities. Tolerability of NAC eyedrops was good in almost all patients, with no reports of ocular or systemic adverse effects.

CONCLUSION: Topical NAC shows potential for the treatment and prevention of cataracts.

Publication Types:
  Clinical Trial
Randomised Controlled Trial
The photographs below show images of a lens with senile cataract (corticonuclear opacities, grade 4, age 75 years, female), and the subsequent slit images in optical section documenting in the focal plane: (a) marked light scattering in the nucleus and posterior cortical region outlined by the lens optical scanning with the focal plane movement inside the lens thickness; (b) light scattering in the anterior subcapsular, anterior cortical and nuclear regions of the lens; retro-illumination lens images with a focal plane positioned (c) onto the iris and (d) on the posterior lens layers. Opacities in the cortical layers are demonstrated as the white background inclusions in the boundary of the pupil locally masked by the flashlight article. (e) the neutral density step reference wedge captured in the plane of the camera focus and allowing correction for variations in film development and flashlight output.
 
 
In the NAC-treated group, 6-month follow-up showed an improvement in VA (7-100%) in 37 of the 41 treated eyes and a significant improvement in glare sensitivity at red and green targets (27-100%) was documented in 16 of the 18 eyes tested. A significant improvement in lens clarity was found in 17 of the 41 eyes as documented by a significant decrease of M and H characteristics during image grading. The NAC-treated eyes had statistically significant differences in VA, glare sensitivity and characteristics of image analysis compared with the control group (p < 0.001) at this time point, as supported by the overall t-test results of the ratio of the follow-up data to the baseline values.
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