World War II buffs have doubtless heard that British pilots flying night raids attributed their success to eating bilberry jam. Even back then, people believed that bilberry compounds had special power to protect vision, especially night vision. More recently, some historians have suggested that bilberry jam was a deliberate misdirection. The pilots talked about it so that the Germans wouldn’t guess that the British had acquired radar to guide them. At the time, that technology was brand new. How has the very old approach of eating bilberries or taking bilberry extract fared in the intervening years? Scientists have discovered some fascinating activity.
Bilberry Extract for Computer Users:
Q. I spend a lot of toe reading news and watching videos on my iPad. I find that I have a hard time readjusting my eyes to normal vision after a couple of hours. Is there any supplement that might help?
A. Actually, there is. We were pleased to see a placebo-controlled trial of bilberry extract (Vaccinium myrtillus) for helping eyes adapt after using video terminal devices (Nutrients, March 2020).
The Japanese scientists recruited 109 men and women and tested them several times throughout the three-month study. Those who took 240 mg of standardized bilberry extract daily had a quicker recovery of their eye muscles after using a computer than those taking placebo. The volunteers reported problems they experienced during the study, such as colds and menstrual cramps, but none appeared to be related to the bilberry extract. The researchers suggest that the anthocyanin content of bilberry extract is responsible for the observed benefits. Bilberries are related to blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum), which are also rich in anthocyanin.
Can Bilberry Extract Help Vision?
Other readers have asked about bilberry extract over the years.
Q. I developed early-stage macular degeneration some 20 years ago, and completely turned it around by taking bilberry extract. My ophthalmologist confirmed that it was the onset of macular degeneration and that it’s completely gone now.
A. Bilberries are a close relative of blueberries and are also referred to as huckleberries, whortleberries or European blueberries. People sometimes eat bilberries or take supplements to help with diabetes or cardiovascular conditions as well as macular degeneration or other eye problems.
Not all readers have had the same success you did with bilberry extract. However, a clinical trial suggests there might be benefits from a dietary supplement containing bilberry along with lutein, vitamins and other antioxidants (Advances in Therapy, Sept. 2019).
Anthocyanins in Bilberries:
The blue and purple pigments in bilberries known as anthocyanins have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity (Antioxidants, April 2019). Unfortunately, scientists have conducted very few clinical trials of bilberry extract. (The one we mentioned above stands out.) However, one study found that bilberry anthocyanins can protect the retina in rabbits (Molecules, Dec. 14, 2015).
Doctors can prescribe effective medical treatments for macular degeneration. As a result, everyone with this serious eye condition should be under an ophthalmologist’s care. Your eye specialist will be able to oversee your treatment and we urge you to let him or her know if you are adding bilberry supplements to your prescription medications.
You may be happy to know, however, that you are not the only one to find bilberry extract helpful. We heard this report from another reader:
Bilberry Extract for Macular Degeneration:
Q. My wife’s ophthalmologist diagnosed macular degeneration and said it would just get worse. We immediately started taking bilberry fruit capsules because I wanted to be pro-active.
A year later, we returned for her annual eye exam. The doctor’s assistant administered the exams. After checking her three times, she took her folder to the doctor and told him in front of us that the assistant last year sure messed up the exam.
The doctor replied,
“I administered that exam myself and I know it is proper.”
The assistant exclaimed that the macular degeneration was only blocking 25 percent of vision instead of 45 percent like last year and that was impossible.
The doctor asked what we had done and I told him about the bilberry extract. He was pleased with her progress. When she passed away three years later at age 82 she had no more macular degeneration.
A. Bilberry has a reputation as being good for eyesight. Bilberry, blueberry, ginkgo, saffron and turmeric have all shown some promise in slowing macular degeneration (Neural Regeneration Research, Dec. 2020). Not all eye doctors are aware of this research, which is still somewhat preliminary.
