Question: I am a 49-year-old woman. I was diagnosed with a cataract in my right eye a few years ago which was the result of injuries when I was younger. My problem is that I have no medical insurance, so I cannot afford the surgery. I have been reading more and more about how L-carnosine eye drops have helped many people. I have been using them, and it seems I am able to see more light now and can make out shapes that I couldn't for quite some time. Have you heard anything about the studies done with these drops? I am hoping for good news.

Dr. Hibberd's Answer:

Bad news. There are no reliable studies that have shown L-carnosine eye drops to be either safe or effective for treatment of cataracts. This has been extensively studied without any positive findings that can be duplicated. There is evidence cautioning that L-carnosine drops may be harmful to the lens of the eye, since it gradually releases histamine that has been reported to harm rather than help the lens.

On the other hand, high doses of L-carnosine in solution appear to reverse a process linked to cell aging. We clearly do not yet have the answer. My advice is to discontinue the L-carnosine drops and seek a competent ophthalmology opinion regarding your eyes. The vision blurring may have been from another condition (perhaps transient high blood sugars or even a mild case of glaucoma) that has since been corrected.