![]()
Those who eat saffron could see
eyesight improvements in their old age, compared to those who do not eat the spice, researchers have found.
The University of Sydney scientists saw "significant improvements" in the natural vision of volunteers who took saffron pills for three months.
Professor Benedetto Falsini conducted the trial at Italy's Policlinico Gemelli, using 25 subjects over the course of six months.
Half of the group were given a saffron pill for the first three months, followed by a placebo for the remaining three months, and the other half were given the pills in the reverse order.
Professor Silvia Bisti, a visiting scholar based at the VisionCentre at the University of Sydney, said: "Measurements using objective eye sight tests showed patient's vision improved after taking the saffron pill. When they were tested with traditional eye charts, a number of patients could read one or two lines smaller than before, while others reported they could read newspapers and books again."
Mr Bisti now plans to conduct a year-long study to find the optimal dose and peak effect for patients.
He will also aim to investigate the role of the spice in treating genetic eye diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa, which can cause young people to go blind.
Over night contact lenses can also help with
eye correction for young people as they age.
Ortho K contact lenses are only worn at night and provide
eye correction by reshaping young eyes over night so that they do not have to work as hard, thus slowing the effects of myopia.
They can help young people to see
eyesight improvements without the need for
laser eye surgery, which is associated with complications such as dry eye and has a minimum age of 21.
Eye Health: Find out if i-GO over night contact lenses will suit you.
By Nick Howard
