Blindness represents the most feared disability and vision loss most commonly results from the diseases cataract, macula degeneration, retinopathy and glaucoma. The retina is the tissue with the highest metabolic turn-over in the body, with the consequence of the highest oxidative stress. Free radical damage is understood to be involved in the processes leading to cataract and macula degeneration.
Retinopathy is a disease affecting the capillaries supporting the retina, which turn brittle and leak blood into the retinal tissue. In turn, the light-sensing cones and rods in the retina decay, causing irreversible vision loss. Retinopathy typically is a consequence of a systemic disease affecting the vascular system, predominantly diabetes but also atherosclerosis and hypertension. Addressing the systemic disease, therefore, represents the best preventative measure. Retinopathy is considered a “stealth disease” as it develops slowly, there are no warning signs (it is painless) and causes no symptoms until the disease is relatively advanced. Retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in people under the age of 60 in industrialized nations.

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