Saffron supplement improves retinal flicker sensitivity

Article

Short-term saffron supplementation has been found to improve retinal flicker sensitivity in early age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Short-term saffron supplementation has been found to improve retinal flicker sensitivity in early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study recently published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

The study, led by Dr Benedetto Falsini of the Universita' Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome, Italy, aimed to evaluate the functional effect that short-term saffron supplementation may have on early AMD.

A group of 25 patients with AMD were randomly assigned to oral saffron 20 mg/d or placebo supplementation for 3 months and then reverted to the reverse treatment for another 3 months. Focal electroretinograms (fERGs) and clinical findings were recorded at baseline and then after 3 months of treatment with saffron or placebo supplementation.

After the patients had received saffron supplementation their fERGs increased in amplitude compared with the baseline or those on the placebo treatment. Additionally, the fERG thresholds were decreased after saffron supplementation but not placebo.

These results show that the short-term use of saffron supplementation improves retinal flicker sensitivity in early AMD. However, these results need to be replicate and the clinical significance has not yet been quantified. Overall, the study has provided important clues that the nutritional carotenoids found in saffron may affect AMD in ways that may be beyond their antioxidant properties.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Christine Curcio, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, shares histology update and revised nomenclature for OCT with Sheryl Stevenson of the Eye Care Network and Ophthalmology Times
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, shares key points from his retina presentation at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.