Benefits of Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) Supplementation in Human Subjects with Glaucoma

Presented at the 2023 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting this past April, the abstract includes favorable early data from an ongoing trial that will complete in 2024. The study, conducted on 118 patients from three ophthalmology clinics in Hong Kong, focused on visual field (VF) sensitivity, a measurement of one’s peripheral vision. NR was shown to prevent worsening of VF in patients with progressing glaucoma. See below for more.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Declining NAD+ levels have been associated with neurodegenerative health conditions, glaucoma being one of them. Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness. While this study doesn’t show that NR supplementation can reverse the cellular dysfunction that leads to glaucoma, it does show promise in keeping it from worsening. It is consistent with previous preclinical studies highlighting the benefits of NR on eye health. 

ABSTRACT LINK:

Leung et al., 2023 (ABSTRACT). “Nicotinamide Riboside for Progressing Glaucoma: A Double-blind, Parallel Group, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial – A Report on Neuroenhancement.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the effects of NR supplementation on VF sensitivity in 118 glaucoma patients randomized to NR (300mg/day) or Placebo for four weeks (300mg/day for four weeks). VF sensitivity is the ability of the eye to detect and perceive visual stimuli in different parts of the visual field.

TAKEAWAYS:

NR prevented worsening of VF sensitivity in patients with progressing glaucoma.

VIEW THE STUDY