• Corpus ID: 218882817

Effect of Astaxanthin on Accommodation and Asthenopia

@inproceedings{Nagaki2011EffectOA,
  title={Effect of Astaxanthin on Accommodation and Asthenopia},
  author={Yasunori Nagaki and Hiroki Tsukahara and Tanihiro Yoshimoto and Kanjiro Masuda},
  year={2011}
}

• Y. Nagaki, Hiroki Tsukahara, +1 author K. Masuda
• Published 2011
• Medicine

Objective: To investigate the effects of astaxanthin (AX) on accommodation and subjective asthenopia. Subjects and Methods: The subjects were patients who had been occupationally engaged in work requiring the use of a visual display terminal (VDT) for 6 h or more per day for more than 1 year and who frequently experienced asthenopia. They were recruited and provided informed consent. For objective assessment of the clinical trials, we employed a double-blind placebo controlled design where the results of the dietary supplements (AX) group were compared with those of the control (placebo) group. After consumption of AX for 4 weeks, an evaluation was made on the pre-and post-treatment accommodation ability, and the patients were asked to complete a questionnaire to report their subjective asthenopia. In parallel, the safety of astaxanthin was assessed through a clinical examination and a doctor’s questionnaire Results: (1) The post-treatment accommodation ability of the AX group with respect to value and rate of change was significantly higher than that of the control group. (2) The distribution of rate of change also showed significant improvement in post-treatment accommodation ability of the AX group when compared to control group. (3) Subjective questionnaire regarding 4 conditions (“eyestrain”, “hazy vision”, “flickering images”, “my shoulders/back feel stiff”), showed that AX group significantly improved to those of control group. (4) Clinical examinations revealed no clinically relevant abnormal changes resulting from AX consumption. Furthermore, there were no reports of adverse events associated with AX consumption. Conclusion: Here we demonstrated that AX consumption (9 mg per day) for 4 weeks substantially alleviated symptoms associated with accommodation ability and subjective asthenopia. Moreover, no safety problems associated with AX consumption were found.