Resveratrol May Prevent Some Blinding Diseases

Resveratrol — found in red wine, grapes, blueberries, peanuts and other plants — stops out-of-control blood vessel growth in the eye, according to vision researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

There are three major eye diseases that resveratrol treatment may help: age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. The researchers caution that if resveratrol therapy is tried in people with eye disease, it would need to be given in pill form because of the high doses required. Read the full story.

In a separate development, other RPB-supported investigators have found that resveratrol may reduce intraocular pressure, suggesting it may be useful as a treatment for glaucoma.

Download the RPB "Guide to Eye Health"

June 29, 2010