Is this catract reversal study legitimate?

[dabailey83]

I noticed a few posts where the advice is consistently given to avoid drops that clarim to reverse cataracts.  I have come across this study which appears legitimate.  Can you please comment if this study has any validity?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12001824


thank you

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[JodieJ]

The article referenced involves a small-scale, 2002 experimental study conducted by Innovative Vision Products about eye drops to reverse human cataracts.  (The eye drops were apparently invented by the researchers.)  The findings seemed promising, but there's no evidence that these results could be replicated on another group of subjects.  As Dr. Hagan suggests above, further studies may have shown that the drops were either not beneficial or had harmful side effects, (and they were not submitted for publication by Innovative Vision Products, who had ulterior motives for doing this research.)    

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

There are several trials world wide that are studying drugs that may be able to prevent cataracts or stop their growth. However none of these are commercially available and over the past couple of decades other drugs like this have initially seemed promising but with further study shown to have harmful side effects or not work.

What we ophhthalmologists on these formums tell people to avoid are the snakeoil patent medicines that are for sale over the internet. If you go looking there are hundreds of things that are sold to prevent or "disolve" cataracts. I would name some of the companies but they would probably sue me so I'll avoid naming names.

Bottom line: THERE IS NO DRUG OR HERB FOR SALE PRESENTLY WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION THAT HAS BEEN SHOW TO PREVENT OR REVERSE CATARACTS.

JCH MD