Vitamin Supplements May Slow Glaucoma Progression

Wednesday, October 22 2025 | 10 h 27 min | Vision Science

A new study suggests that a mix of B vitamins and choline may help slow down or even stop vision loss in glaucoma by supporting the eye’s metabolism—independent of eye pressure. Researchers found that in animals with glaucoma, this vitamin supplement protected the optic nerve, even when eye pressure wasn’t treated. These encouraging results, published in Cell Reports Medicine, have led to a clinical trial now underway in Stockholm.

Glaucoma usually damages the optic nerve due to high eye pressure, but researchers at Karolinska Institutet discovered that a slowed metabolism in the retina might also play a key role in vision loss.

Their study suggests in glaucoma the eye struggles to use certain vitamins that are necessary to keep a healthy metabolism. By supplementing these vitamins in an animal model, researchers were able to reduce and, in some cases, even stop optic nerve damage, offering hope for a new approach to protecting vision.

About Fighting Blindness Canada

Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) is the largest charitable funder of vision research in Canada.

Over our 49-year history, FBC has contributed critical funding for the development of sight-saving treatments and cures for blinding eye diseases. By raising and stewarding funds, FBC is helping drive forward research that supports our goal of understanding why vision loss occurs, how it can be slowed and how sight can be restored.

We are an invaluable resource for individuals and families impacted by blindness, providing accurate eye health information through our website and educational events, as well as engaging with government and other stakeholders to advance better vision health policies.

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