What if eyes could use light to heal themselves, much like plants do with photosynthesis? Scientists from the University of Singapore have developed a new treatment for dry eyes, drawing inspiration from this mechanism, which is mainly found in the plant kingdom. As a reminder, this process allows green plants to use light to make their food from water and carbon dioxide, while releasing oxygen into the air.
The study, published in the journal Cell and relayed by the Live Science site, consisted of incorporating a tiny quantity of a green plant, here spinach, into the eyes of mice, in order to create antioxidant particles from ambient light. You had to think about it.
Certain species of sea slugs are among the very rare animals capable of also producing photosynthesis, by ingesting algae from which they recover and store the nutrients. For the researchers, the question was whether the same thing could happen in mammals. Their encouraging results should ultimately make it possible to develop a similar treatment to treat dry eyes in humans.
The treatments used today work by weakening the immune reactions of the eye, responsible for dryness. However, their use is not recommended because it is risky in the long term: it can lead to other eye problems, sometimes leading to blindness or cataracts.
Mice then men
This discovery is not trivial, it could improve the daily lives of nearly 1.5 billion people affected by this condition. Corneal degradation, chronic pain, impaired vision and sensitivity to light are all symptoms that could easily disappear, all thanks to a little spinach in the eye.
By implanting photosynthetic mechanisms from the plant world into corneal cells, the eyes of the mice tested were able to capture ambient light and produce antioxidants completely independently, without any other intervention being necessary.
The results on the rodents are clear: in five days, the differences between the mice treated with spinach and the others were visible: more tears, a less damaged cornea and more numerous protective cells, all without any side effects.
Will we soon cry green tears? Dr. Leong, from the University of Singapore, says that “the concentration of chlorophyll is so low in the drops that you can’t see the green color”… and that’s almost disappointing.
