The potential of vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) to slow the progression of glaucoma will be tested in a large, international follow-up clinical trial following promising results in an earlier Centre of Eye Research Australia (CERA) trial.
CERA’s Dr Flora Hui and Professor Keith Martin will lead the TAMING (Targeting Metabolic Insufficiency in Glaucoma) trial, which will involve more than 150 patients in Melbourne, along with patients from interstate and overseas. It will investigate the effect of vitamin B3 on visual function in patients who are over 60 and have moderate to severe primary open angle glaucoma.
The first study showed significant improvement in the visual function of glaucoma patients who received a high daily dose of 3g of vitamin B3 over 12 weeks, in addition to their regular treatment to reduce eye pressure. “By conducting a longer-term study, we will be able to determine whether vitamin B3 should be taken on an ongoing basis by glaucoma patients,” said Dr Hui.
For more on CERA’s first B3 and glaucoma trial, https://eyeonoptics.co.nz/articles/archive/b3-shows-promise-for-glaucoma/
