A world-first clinical trial led by the Centre for Eye Research Australia has shown that vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) could play an important role in protecting against nerve cell damage that leads to blindness in glaucoma.

Results of the trial, led by Professor Jonathan Crowston and Dr Flora Hui at the Centre for Eye Research Australia, are published today in Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. They show ‘significant improvement’ in the visual function of glaucoma patients who received a daily high dose of 3 grams of nicotinamide for 12 weeks in addition to their regular treatment to reduce eye pressure.