Red wine molecule may help prevent leading causes of blindness

An antioxidant found in red wine, grapes and berries called resveratrol may prevent the leading causes of blindness.  A recent study demonstrated that Resveratrol effectively prevented new blood vessels from forming and eliminating them once they had formed. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in the United States, while age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in Americans aged 60 and older. Currently, treatments for many retinal diseases involve risky eye injections. Resveratrol can be taken orally and is easily absorbed in the body. Researchers conducted studies on mice to determine how resveratrol affects? the formation of new blood vessels in the retinas. The researchers were able to create abnormal blood vessels in the mice using lasers. Abnormal blood vessels occur in human eyes in both proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and wet macular degeneration (wet AMD). The mice were then treated with resveratrol. The abnormal blood vessels began to disappear. Researchers were excited about the role resveratrol can play in preventing the formation of abnormal blood vessels.* Andrea Schumann Staff Writer