Dry Eyes

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study published in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences shows that blueberry fruit extract may play an important role in the adequate preservation of aqueous levels in people with ocular dryness.

Clinical study reference: The effect of a natural, standardized bilberry extract (Mirtoselect®) in dry eye: a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled trial. controlled trial, European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 2017; 21: 2518-2525.

Eye Sight

Anthocyanins interacted with the endothelin-1 pathway to reduce muscle contractility, which relates to accommodative processes for distance vision in myopic eyes.

Clinical study reference: Matsumoto H, Kamm KE, Stull JT, Azuma H. Delphinidin-3-rutinoside relaxes the bovine ciliary smooth muscle through activation of ETB receptor and NO/cGMP pathway. Exp Eye Res 2005;80: 313–22..

Retina Health

Several studies document a potential role for flavonoids (contains inside blueberries)  to improve retinal photoreceptor sensitivity in vitro by affecting the rate of rhodopsin regeneration.

Clinical study reference: Liu Y, Song X, Zhang D, Zhou F, Wang D, Wei Y, Gao F, Xie L, Jia G, Wu W. Blueberry anthocyanins: protection against ageing and light-induced damage in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Br J Nutr 2012;108:16–27.

Eye Protection

Retinal inflammation, which is a hallmark of many ocular pathologies, was mitigated in mice fed bilberry extract (500 mg/kg BW) for 4 d after inflammation was induced by intraperitoneal injection of LPS (154). In the bilberry group, retinal electrophysiology was improved, rhodopsin was preserved, and there was less damage to photoreceptors compared to controls.

Clinical study reference: Miyake S, Takahashi N, Sasaki M, Kobayashi S, Tsubota K, Ozawa Y. Vision preservation during retinal inflammation by anthocyanin rich bilberry extract: cellular and molecular mechanism. Lab Investig 2011;92:102.