Aquila in Italy has found that when eaten, saffron may protect eyes from UV damage
and slow the progress of diseases such as
macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. In macular degeneration, the cells in the retina at the back of the eye, which are responsible for clear vision, begin to die. But when patients with macular degeneration taking part in the study began eating a diet containing saffron, these cells began to recover.