Scientists spoke about the benefits of vitamin B12 for eye health

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Sight can deteriorate for many reasons: due to various diseases, genetic predisposition, as well as due to a lack of certain vitamins in the body. Scientists have found that vitamin B12 can affect visual acuity.

One of the complications associated with a lack of this vitamin is optic neuropathy – damage to the optic nerve that impairs vision.

Scientists reviewed one clinical case that proved the ability of vitamin B12 to affect vision. A 63-year-old man presented to an ophthalmology clinic for cataract surgery after gradually worsening vision over the previous two months.

The man was diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency as a result of a blood test. Then he was prescribed supplements of this vitamin and folic acid, but they could not make up for the lack of B12. After that, for some time, the man was injected with the vitamin intramuscularly, in addition, he took folic acid.

The patient was also diagnosed with bilateral optic neuropathy due to vitamin B12 deficiency. Five months later, the man reported that his vision had improved slightly since the last examination. Visual acuity also improved. In addition, after nine months, the vision became even better, and the man was able to regain his driver's license. Analyzes showed that the levels of B12 and folic acid in the blood serum increased significantly.

This is not the only case where taking vitamin B12 helped to improve visual acuity. A similar example of a 68-year-old man who had bilateral central vision loss for several months is described on the website of the US National Center for Biotechnological Information (NCBI).

Experts explained that the unusual deterioration vision due to vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with damage to the optic nerve. The fact is that due to the lack of the substance, the nerve impulse that goes from the eye to the brain cannot be transmitted correctly, which inevitably leads to vision loss.