Hydrogen Water Protects Eye Nerve Cells After Injury in Rat Study
- Authors
- Yu-Xia You, J.J. Li, Y.J. Li, Ke Ma
- Journal
- Ophthalmology in China
- Year
- 2014
- DOI
- 10.13281/j.cnki.issn.1004-4469.2014.02.009
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Traumatic Optic Neuropathy
- Body System
- Visual System
TL;DR
Applying hydrogen-rich water directly to the eyes of rats helped protect their vision after an injury to the optic nerve.
Key Finding
Topical hydrogen water applied as eye drops improved survival of retinal ganglion cells to 58% compared to 43% in saline-treated controls following optic nerve injury in rats.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen water could protect nerve cells in the eye after an optic nerve injury in rats. They crushed the optic nerve in rats' eyes and then treated some rats with hydrogen water (applied as eye drops or injected), while others received only saline (salt water) as a control. After two weeks, they counted how many retinal ganglion cells (the nerve cells that transmit vision signals) survived. Rats treated with hydrogen water eye drops had significantly better cell survival (58%) compared to the saline control group (43%).
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen water may have protective effects on nerve cells damaged by eye injury. However, this was only tested in rats with a specific type of injury, so it's unclear whether these results would apply to human eye conditions or other types of vision problems. Much more research, including human studies, would be needed before hydrogen water could be considered a treatment for eye injuries.
Abstract (excerpt)
Objective: To investigate the protective effect of saturated hydrogen water on the retinal ganglion cells (RGC) of the rat optic nerve crush model. Design: Experimental study. Participants: Eighteen healthy adult male SD rats. Methods: Eighteen SD rats were randomly divided into the A, B and C…