Lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids well-established for their roles in protecting the eye from damage and preserving vision, appear to be beneficial to night vision, a new clinical study published in the journal Nutrients found.
 
Poor night vision is common in elderly people, but a number of individuals don’t adapt as well to variations in light conditions. This can create visually challenging environments, especially when driving at night. “The risk of automobile injury or fatality associated with motor vehicle accidents has been determined to increase with age,” the authors of the study wrote. “This is due to a complex interplay of age-related declines observed in vision, motor, and cognitive functioning. Furthermore, basic visual function is the foundation for higher order neural processing, whether it is visual-spatial or cognitive.”
 
Lutein and Zeaxanthin are two of three macular pigments (the third is mesozeaxanthin), and several clinical studies have linked the density of these pigments in the eye to improved visual function. Of the greatest importance to these ingredients in the eye health category was the National Institutes of Health and National Eye Institute-supported study, AREDS 2, which established the safety and efficacy of these carotenoids.
 
In the present study, researchers administered a supplement containing 14 mg of zeaxanthin and 7 mg of lutein daily for six months to a group of 24 participants, whose changes in vision were compared to any possible changes seen in a placebo group of 9 participants. All participants did not have any overt retinal pathology, but had reported difficulty with night vision and driving. A series of assessments measuring eye function in various light conditions was then carried out by the researchers. Significant improvements were achieved via supplementation in tests on macular pigment optical density, LogMAR scores, glare recovery time speed, and a decrease in the preferred luminance required to complete visual task.
 
The supplementation group also saw improvements useful field of view (UFOV) scores, which, critical to driving, measure functional vision and visual attention, and improvements in composite crash risk score. “In human vision, the useful field of view is the visual area over which information can be extracted at a brief glance without eye or head movements,” the authors wrote. “UFOV may be used to aid in making professional judgments about an individual’s fitness to drive.”
 
Overall, “The practical implication of this study is that a once-daily capsule of zeaxanthin/lutein-based nutritional supplement shows promise in augmenting night vision and improved driving performance in individuals that have difficulty driving,” the authors concluded.