Eye Drops for Cataracts
No eye drop has been shown to dissolve a cataract. The research behind the drops sold online is real, but none of it has shown a drop clearing a cataract in a person. Here is what each study found.
- No eye drop has been proven to clear a cataract
- Every study is linked, so you can check it
- Cataract surgery is the only proven treatment
Camden (Orchard)Joo ChiatClementiBedokToa PayohJurong
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Can eye drops dissolve a cataract?
No eye drop has been shown to dissolve or clear a cataract in a person. The only proven treatment is cataract surgery, which replaces the cloudy lens with a clear artificial one.
The research is real. In 2015, two studies made cataracts less severe or lenses partly clearer in animal lenses and living animals, and made headlines. In the ten years since, no study has shown the same in a person.
Have a concern about cataracts? Talk to our friendly staff for a same-day appointment (subject to availability).
What the eye drop studies found
Four studies, and what each was tested in.
| Study | Lab isolated tissue | Animals living | People living patients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lanosterol | Tested | Tested | Not part of this study |
| Compound 29 | Tested | Tested | Not part of this study |
| Lanosterol, tested again | Tested | Not part of this study | Not part of this study |
| N-acetyl carnosine (NAC) | Not part of this study | Not part of this study | Tested, but the studies could not be assessed |
- Lanosterol
- Tested in: Rabbit lenses in a laboratory, and live dogs with naturally occurring cataracts. Cataracts became less severe (Nature, 2015).
- Compound 29
- Tested in: Mice bred to get cataracts, older mice, and donor human lenses in a laboratory. Lenses in the mice became partly clearer (Science, 2015).
- Lanosterol, tested again
- Tested in: Rat lenses and donor human lenses in a laboratory. It did not clear the cataracts or stop them getting worse (Scientific Reports, 2019).
- N-acetyl carnosine (NAC)
- Tested in: People, in two studies by the same research group. A review could not assess either study, and found no convincing evidence the drops work (Cochrane, 2017).
None of this shows a drop clearing a cataract in a person. The 2015 studies were early animal and laboratory work: a starting point, not a treatment.
Why a drop struggles to clear a cataract
Two things stand in the way, and the second is the harder one.
Reaching the lens
The lens sits deep inside the eye, behind the clear front of the eye and the coloured iris. A drop has to get through all of that, and most of it drains away through the tear duct within minutes.
Undoing the damage
A cataract is protein in the lens that has clumped together over many years. Stopping it clumping is one thing; breaking up clumps that are already there is much harder.
Cataract eye drops you can buy
Mostly supplements and soothing drops. None has been shown to treat a cataract.
- N-acetyl carnosine (NAC) drops
- Sold as supplements rather than medicines. A Cochrane review found no convincing evidence that they work.
- Pirenoxine drops
- Approved as a medicine in Japan. Japan’s own cataract treatment guidelines found no good evidence that they work.
- Comfort or lubricating drops
- Some carry a Japanese label. They ease dry or tired eyes but do nothing to a cataract.
- Vitamin and antioxidant pills
- Nine trials in over 117,000 people found no evidence that they lower the chance of getting a cataract, needing surgery for one, or of one getting worse.
What does treat a cataract
Surgery. The cloudy lens is replaced with a clear artificial one, as day surgery with the eye numbed by drops or a small injection around it.
Until then, two things can help for a while, though neither treats the cataract.
- New glasses
- A cataract can change the focus of your eye, so an updated prescription can help for a while.
- More light, less glare
- A brighter reading lamp, sunglasses outdoors and staying off unlit roads at night all make the sight you have easier to use.
There is no rush. An early cataract can wait for years. Surgery makes sense once the cataract gets in the way of daily life — and trying eye drops first is no reason to put it off. See what surgery costs and how to use MediSave.
Eye drops after cataract surgery
Eye drops do matter in cataract care: after the operation, not instead of it.
You will usually use two types of drop for several weeks: an antibiotic to prevent infection and an anti-inflammatory to help the eye settle. Stick to the schedule. Two common mistakes are missed doses and drops that miss the eye.
Common questions
Are there eye drops that dissolve cataracts?
No. None has been shown to dissolve or clear a cataract in people. The drops sold online for cataracts are mostly supplements rather than medicines, and most of the research behind them was done in animals or laboratory tissue.
Do lanosterol eye drops work in humans?
There is no evidence that they do. The 2015 study behind them, published in Nature, found lanosterol made cataracts less severe in rabbit lenses in a laboratory and in dogs — it was not a trial in people. A 2019 study that tried to repeat the result found lanosterol did not clear cataracts in rat lenses.
Do N-acetyl carnosine or Can-C eye drops work?
Not on the evidence so far. A Cochrane review in 2017 looked for trials of N-acetyl carnosine (NAC) drops in people with cataract. It found two, both by the same research group, but could not get enough information to judge either. It concluded there is no convincing evidence that the drops reverse a cataract or stop it getting worse.
What about Japanese cataract eye drops?
In Japan, drops containing pirenoxine or glutathione are approved medicines for cataract. But Japan’s own cataract treatment guidelines found no good evidence that they work. Japanese drops sold for tired or dry eyes can make an eye feel better, but they do nothing to a cataract.
Are there over-the-counter eye drops for cataracts?
No. Lubricating drops from a pharmacy can soothe a dry or tired eye, but none of them treats a cataract.
Can supplements or vitamins clear a cataract?
No. A Cochrane review of nine trials in over 117,000 people found no evidence that antioxidant vitamins, at more than the recommended daily dose, lowered the chance of getting a cataract, needing surgery for one, or of one getting worse. If they cannot prevent a cataract, there is little reason to expect them to clear one.
Why is it so hard for an eye drop to treat a cataract?
Two reasons. The lens sits deep inside the eye, behind the clear front of the eye and the coloured iris, and most of a drop drains away through the tear duct within minutes. And a cataract is protein that has clumped together over years; breaking up those clumps is much harder than stopping them forming.
Should I try eye drops before considering surgery?
The risk is usually not the drop but the time. A cataract that is affecting your sight keeps affecting it while an unproven drop is tried, and the operation you may need is the same afterwards.
What eye drops are used after cataract surgery?
Usually an antibiotic drop and an anti-inflammatory drop for several weeks, to prevent infection and help the eye settle. They are used after the cataract has been removed, never instead of removing it.
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