Saffron may help combat blindness--study

Traditionally, the aromatic herb is used to colour and flavour curries and Mediterranean dishes. However, the study suggests that the spice could prove very effective in combating age-related blindness.

In the first trial of saffron on human vision, the spice was shown to significantly enhance volunteers' eyesight.

Past research carried out on animals has shown that a saffron diet offers protection to eyes from the damaging effects of bright light.

Details of the study
To come up with this finding, a research team led by Professor Silvia Bisti from the University of Sydney focused on 25 subjects who were randomly divided into two groups.

The first group was given a daily saffron pill for three months. Then they were given a placebo treatment for another three months.

The second group was given the supplements in reverse order, meaning first they were assigned the dummy treatment, and then given the saffron pills.

Saffron linked to improved eyesight
The researchers noted that all the volunteers who took the saffron pill showed significant improvements in their eyesight. However, when they stopped taking the pill, the benefits disappeared.

They claim the aromatic herb "may hold the key to preventing the loss of sight in the elderly."

It was found that saffron affects the amount of fat stored by the eye, thus making the vision cells ‘tougher and more resilient.’ The spice also has antioxidant properties, which ensure oxygen flow and prevent cells death, they said.

Lead researcher Professor Silvia Bisti said, “When patients were tested with traditional eye charts, a number could read one or two lines smaller than before. Others said they could read newspapers and books again.”

The findings are ‘remarkable’ and the herb “may hold the key to preventing sight loss in the elderly,” Bisti said.

Professor Jonathon Stone of The Vision Centre, an Australian research organisation, said, "The outcome of this experiment was remarkable – significant improvement in vision after several weeks of taking saffron in pill form, which reversed when the patients were taken off it.

"This is very encouraging for a non-invasive way to treat certain important eye diseases."

Further trial
In order to justify the findings, the researchers will conduct a 12-month trial to discover more about how saffron works, its potential benefits, and ideal dosage.

The herb will be tested to determine whether it can treat genetic diseases of the eye, such as retinitis pigmentosa, which can cause lifelong blindness in young people.