The Effect of Dietary Vitamin K1 Supplementation on Trabecular Meshwork and Retina in a Chronic Ocular Hypertensive Rat Model

Vitamin K and the Visual System-A Narrative Review

Vitamin K occupies a unique and often obscured place among its fellow fat-soluble vitamins. Evidence is mounting, however, that vitamin K (VK) may play an important role in the visual system apart from the hepatic carboxylation of hemostatic-related proteins. However, to our knowledge, no review covering the topic has appeared in the medical literature. Recent studies have confirmed that matrix Gla protein (MGP), a vitamin K-dependent protein (VKDP), is essential for the regulation of intraocular pressure in mice. The PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) study, a randomized trial involving 5860 adults at risk for cardiovascular disease, demonstrated a 29% reduction in the risk of cataract surgery in participants with the highest tertile of dietary vitamin K1 (PK) intake compared with those with the lowest tertile. However, the specific requirements of the eye and visual system (EVS) for VK, and what might constitute an optimized VK status, is currently unknown and largely unexplored. It is, therefore, the intention of this narrative review to provide an introduction concerning VK and the visual system, review ocular VK biology, and provide some historical context for recent discoveries. Potential opportunities and gaps in current research efforts will be touched upon in the hope of raising awareness and encouraging continued VK-related investigations in this important and highly specialized sensory system.

Is fat the future for saving sight? Bioactive lipids and their impact on glaucoma

Glaucoma is characterized by a continuous loss of retinal ganglion cells. The cause of glaucoma is associated with an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP), but the underlying pathophysiology is diverse and, in most cases, unknown. There is an indisputable unmet need to identify new pathways involved in glaucoma pathogenesis. Increasing evidence suggests that bioactive lipids may be critical in the development and progression of glaucoma. Preclinical and clinical bioactive lipid targets exist and are being developed. In this review, we aim to shed light on the potential of bioactive lipids for the prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of glaucoma by asking the question "is fat the future for saving sight".

New strategies for neuro protection in glaucoma

Glaucoma is a progressive, irreversible loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and axons that results in characteristic optic atrophy and corresponding progressive visual field defect. The exact mechanisms underlying glaucomatous neuron loss are not clear. The main risk factor for glaucoma onset and development is high intraocular pressure (IOP), however traditional IOP-lowering therapies are often not sufficient to prevent degeneration of RGCs and the vision loss may progress, indicating the need for complementary neuroprotective therapy. This review summarizes the progress for neuro protection in glaucoma in recent 5 years, including modulation of neuroinflammation, gene and cell therapy, dietary supplementation, and sustained-release system.