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Glaucoma is a condition which can affect sight, usually due to build up of pressure within the eye. It involves the loss of retinal ganglion cells, located near the surface of the retina. The eyeball contains a fluid- aqueous humour which is constantly produced by the eye, with any excess drained though tubes. Glaucoma develops when the fluid cannot drain properly and pressure builds up- intraocular pressure.
This can damage the optic nerve which connects the eye to the brain and the nerve fibres from the retina-the light-sensitive nerve tissue that lines the back of the eye. Glaucoma can be treated with eye drops, laser treatment or surgery. Damage to the eyes cannot be reversed, untreated glaucoma can cause visual impairment.
Researchers have found a derivative of the spice used in curry – curcumin – can be used in eye drops to prevent vision loss. Trials showed eye drops containing curcumin, responsible for turmeric’s yellow colour, slashed the loss of crucial retinal cells in rats. Glaucoma involves the loss of retinal ganglion cells, located near the surface of the retina. Eye drops are the main treatment for glaucoma, according to the NHS. They all work by reducing the build-up of pressure in patients’ eyes.
Delivering curcumin as eye drops increases the compound’s solubility factor by almost 400,000 times. Rodents given the eye drops twice daily for three weeks had much lower levels of retinal ganglion cell loss than their counterparts. No side effects, including irritation or inflammation.