Scientists Cut Dry Eye in Mice With 5-Day Spinach Photosynthesis Eye Drops
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · May 30
Scientists Cut Dry Eye in Mice With 5-Day Spinach Photosynthesis Eye Drops
3 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · May 30
Five days of LEAF eye drops let mouse eyes use spinach-derived photosynthetic reactions, reducing dry-eye inflammation and boosting tear production to levels comparable with an existing medicine.
The drops package thylakoid grana from spinach chloroplasts; under ambient light, they generate NADPH, an antioxidant that cleared oxidants driving corneal inflammation and damage.
Saline-treated mice fared worse, with lower tear production and more cornea damage, while researchers said the chlorophyll concentration was low enough that the drops remained transparent.
The Cell study is still preclinical, and the team said the therapy needs extensive safety and long-term efficacy testing before planned human trials focused first on safety.
Can sunlight and spinach solve a billion-person dry eye problem?
Could spinach-powered eye drops be the first step toward photosynthetic humans?
What are the hidden risks of turning our eye cells into tiny power plants?
Harnessing Plant Photosynthesis in Mammalian Tissue: The 2026 Status and Future of LEAF for Dry Eye Disease
Overview
As of June 2026, LEAF technology has achieved a major breakthrough by successfully transplanting plant photosynthetic machinery into mammalian tissue, as demonstrated by a National University of Singapore research team and published in Cell. This first-in-class innovation enables mammalian cells to generate biologically useful molecules using only light, marking a unique and original mechanism in biomedical science. Currently in advanced preclinical research, LEAF shows promise for treating conditions like dry eye disease by directly addressing oxidative stress. The technology’s progress sets the stage for future clinical trials and broader applications in light-accessible tissues.