Treatment of cataract and age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
eyesight loss in elderly. Oxidative stress might contribute to the underlying causes of both conditions. Thus, researchers are taking interest in the role of vitamin C along with other antioxidants in the treatment of eye-health disorders. There are numerous reports to find the details of vitamin C role in cataract and AMD. Some of these results indicate that vitamin C intakes more than 300 mg per day minimize the risk of cataract formation by 75%.
All the studies point out that the vitamin C might slows down the progression of AMD and reduces the higher risk of growing AMD. Vitamin C can keeps the body safe from the destructive effects of free radicals. Antioxidants like vitamin C neutralize these free radicals ending the electron stealing reaction by donating one of their electrons. The antioxidant nutrients don’t turn into free radicals themselves after donating an electron as they are quite stable in both forms and act as scavengers. Vitamin C helps to prevent any tissue and cell damage that could cause cellular diseases and damage.
Vitamin C also reacts with free radicals to form a relatively poor reactive intermediate known as ascorbyl radical by undergoing single-electron oxidation. The single-electro oxidation process causes reduction of free radicals to dehydroascorbate and ascorbate. Thus, vitamin C can reduce reactive and toxic oxygen species like hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion as well as nitrogen oxide radicals in the body. The reduction of these free radicals is of significant importance as it is the foundation of most of the biological functions of vitamin C.
Vitamin C also plays a fundamental role in providing protection to other vitamin like vitamin E and A from the deleterious effects of oxidation. In addition, vitamin C helps in keeping the gums safe and reverses ageing. Vitamin C also strengthens the overall physical condition by extracting toxic metals from the body. Vitamin C also reduces the development of cataract and hence useful in the glaucoma treatment.