What is a Cataract?

The lens of your eye is a transparent, biconvex structure that lies behind your iris and pupil. Along with the cornea, its role is to focus light onto the retina at the back of the eye. It works a bit like a camera lens and, by changing shape, the lens alters the focal distance of the eye so that the eye can focus on things clearly that are both close up and far away.

The lens itself is mostly made up of water and proteins. The proteins are arranged in a very specific way which keeps the lens clear and allows light to pass through it. However, as we age, some of these proteins may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is the beginnings of a senile cataract. At this point the cataract is referred to as an incipient cataract.

Because the lens is critical in the focusing process and the clarity with which we see things, any changes to it can have a dramatic effect on your ability to see clearly. In the early stages of development a cataract may be very small and may not interfere with your vision at all. However, gradually over time more and more of your lens will become affected - at this point your cataract will be referred to as an immature cataract. As the cataract grows and your lens becomes increasingly cloudy, your vision will become ever more blurred. It’s a bit like looking through frosted glass all the time. Eventually, the entire lens can become cloudy (a mature cataract) and all functional vision will be lost.

Although for many cataracts develop slowly, over months or even years, for some they can develop in just a matter of a few weeks. One or both eyes can be affected. It is important to see your optometrist to get a proper diagnosis and once diagnosed you can consider treatment options including cataract eye drops.

Resources -  What is a Cataract?

What Causes Cataracts?

No one really knows why the protein structures in the eye can change causing cataracts to develop as we get older. Research is ongoing - and the more we learn about cataracts and the way they form, the more we will be able to develop not only treatments but also preventative strategies that can be implemented to try and stop senile cataract from forming in the first place. 

What we do know is that certain risk factors exist that increase your likelihood of developing cataracts with age. These risk factors include: 

Exposure to ultraviolet light - many studies now suggest that ultraviolet light damages the eye in such a way that it can speed up the formation of cataracts. Certainly, cataracts are more commonly found near the equator and airline pilots appear to be particularly prone to them. Wearing sunglasses and broad brimmed hats can help cut down your exposure to ultra violet light

• Smoking and high levels of alcohol consumption
• Being diabetic - if you suffer from diabetes your risk for developing senile cataracts increases by around 40%

• Poor nutrition when you are young
• Family history of cataracts - it appears that the condition can be hereditary

• The use of certain drugs including steroids, tranquilisers and diuretics
• A history of trauma to the eye may make the eye more susceptible to developing cataracts as you age

• Cataracts may also appear as a secondary condition to other eye diseases
• Having a diet high in salt

• Using HRT (hormone replacement therapy) - this issue is still in debate and further research is required before a final conclusion can be drawn
• Age - the older you are, the greater your risk of spontaneously developing cataracts

Cataracts do not usually occur until you are at least 60 years old. This inevitably means that with aging populations, the incidence of cataracts occurring is also going to continue to climb - and so too the number of cataract surgeries performed. This is because surgery is often the only treatment suggested. But, with advent of Carnosine Eye Drops, surgery can be avoided. Instead Can-C eye drops offer a gentle, effective and non-invasive way of treating cataracts.

Resources -  What Causes Cataracts?

What are Can-C Eyedrops?

Can-C Eyedrops have been specially formulated to treat cataracts - halting and even reversing the progression of the condition. This means that for the first time those suffering from senile cataracts have a real alternative to expensive surgery. These incredible ophthalmic eyedrops use a formula that has been approved and patented by the company that originally developed this most remarkable breakthrough in the treatment of cataracts - Innovative Vision Products.

Unlike surgery which is necessarily an invasive procedure that inevitably carries some risk, Can-C Eyedrops are non-invasive, gentle and effective.

The formula contains N-acetylcarnosine - a form of carnosine, the naturally occurring di-peptide of the amino-acids beta-alanine and l-histadine. Research has shown that carnosine plays an important role in the prevention of glycation. Glycation is the result of sugar molecules bonding to proteins without the controlling action of enzymes. The lens of the eye is made up mostly from water and proteins. These proteins are arranged in a very specific way that allows the lens to be kept clear and for light to pass through it. As glycation affects these proteins, it plays a crucial role in the formation of cataracts. By preventing glycation, carnosine works to prevent one of the root causes of cataracts.

Carnosine is also a powerful anti-oxidant. Anti-oxidants provide protection against free radical damage. This type of damage is also known to be heavily implicated in the formation of cataracts.

It´s important to note that not any form of carnosine eye drops can be used when treating cataracts. Research has demonstrated that it is the N-acetylcarnosine form of carnosine that is effective in this regard. This is because N-acetylcarnosine acts as a "carrier" of carnosine, allowing it to be delivered directly into the aqueous humor of the eye (the fluid surrounding the lens). What´s more, N-acetylcarnosine is also highly resistant to the enzyme carnosinase which works to break down carnosine.

Using its unique and patented formula, the safety profile of cataract eye drops is such that it allows N-acetylcarnosine to be administered directly into the eye and so enabling the prevention and reversal of the progression of cataracts without the need for surgery. 

Resources - What are Can-C Eyedrops?

The Scientific Evidence behind the use of N-acetylcarnosine Eyedrops

It’s all well and good stating that a product works, but what is really important is that statements such as these are backed up with scientific research that has been carried out using the most rigorous study protocols. Cataracts Drops meet this strict criterium.

The leading research in this area was carried out by Dr Mark Babizhayev and his team from the Moscow Helmholtz Research Institute of Eye Diseases. The researchers specifically examined the use of the ophthalmic formulation of N-acetylcarnosine (as found in Can-C Eyedrops) in cataract patients in order to establish whether or not using N-acetylcarnosine in such a way could actually obviate the need for these patients to undergo cataract surgery. The results were truly remarkable.

Dr Babizhayev and his colleagues established a controlled clinical trial that involved 110 eyes. The eyes were split into three groups:

• 60 eyes received the N-acetylcarnosine eye drop treatment twice a day
• 30 eyes formed a control group & were administered with a placebo eye drop
• 20 eyes received no treatment whatsoever

All of the eyes were evaluated at the start of the study and then at 2 monthly intervals over a total period of 6 months. Incredibly, at the end of the 6 month trial period a staggering 96% of the treated eyes showed improvement. But even more exciting was the fact that those eyes that showed the greatest improvements were in those affected by the most common form of cataracts - age related cataracts (often referred to as senile cataract).

To understand just how incredible these results were, you have to put them into some sort of context. Up until this point, it had been thought that the only way to effectively treat cataracts was by surgery. No non-invasive treatments were available. The clinical trial results confirmed that at last there really was an effective, alternative, non-surgical option available for the treatments of cataracts.

The study also revealed a remarkable new phenomenon - the "melting snow" effect. This was the name given to the clearly visible breakdown of the damaged proteins that cause cataracts - even after only 1 month of treatment. The reversal process began at the periphery with the affected lenses which gradually became more and more transparent. As the growth of the cataracts was reversed, so vision improved.

Dr Babizhayev is now the guiding light behind Innovative Vision Products Inc which has patented and approved the N-acetylcarnosine formulation found in Can-C Eyedrops.

Resources -  The Scientific Evidence behind the use of N-acetylcarnosine Eyedrops