Evidence supporting the use of: Alpha-Lipoic Acid
For the health condition: Glaucoma

Links: Go back one page, Tool main page, Ingredients list, Health conditions list, Body systems list

Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 2

Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) has some preliminary scientific evidence supporting its use in glaucoma, although the evidence is limited and not definitive. Glaucoma is characterized by progressive optic nerve damage, often associated with increased intraocular pressure (IOP) and oxidative stress. ALA is a potent antioxidant that can scavenge free radicals and regenerate other antioxidants, which is hypothesized to be beneficial in conditions like glaucoma where oxidative stress plays a role in disease progression.

A small number of clinical studies and animal experiments have evaluated ALA in glaucoma. One notable human trial (Filina et al., 1995) involved supplementing 45 patients with open-angle glaucoma with 75 mg ALA daily for two months. The study reported improvement in visual function and visual field indices compared to controls, suggesting a possible neuroprotective effect. However, the study had limitations, including small sample size and lack of rigorous blinding. Additional animal studies have suggested that ALA can protect retinal ganglion cells from oxidative damage, but these findings have not yet been robustly validated in larger, well-controlled human trials.

While the mechanistic rationale for ALA’s use is plausible, and some early evidence exists, more research is needed to determine its efficacy and safety for glaucoma patients. Thus, ALA is sometimes recommended as an adjunctive antioxidant therapy, but it is not a mainstream or guideline-endorsed treatment for glaucoma.

More about Alpha-Lipoic Acid
More about Glaucoma

Products containing Alpha-Lipoic Acid

We currently have no products on Vitabase that contain this ingredient.