Astaxanthin and light sensitivity

[david2404]

I had heard of people starting to take Astaxanthin supplements as a natural sunscreen. So I wondered if it would work to help prevent light sensitivity in the eyes.

Well, I am light sensitive, so I took some Astaxanthin. 12mg/day for a month. Now I can't say for sure if it helped but I've just read that "Building up enough astaxanthin to effectively prevent sun damage may take several weeks". So i'm going to give it another go.

I've read a few posts on these forums of people taking krill oil, which is high in astaxanthin, and having some success in battling dryness. But I wondered if anyone else has tried it for light sensitivity?

[Hopeful2]

Hi David,

I have been taking about 4mg/day of astaxanthin. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory like fish oils. I was told that Astaxanthin enhances the effect of fish oils. So, if you are taking fish oils too, be careful about overloading on either the astaxanthin or the fish oil. Fish oil will thin your blood, and when taken in large doses, can lead to easier bruising. At one point I went through an unexplained series of feeling very dizzy. I did some research and apparently too much fish oils can cause dizziness . . . maybe because the blood is thinner?

I did not notice a difference in photo sensitivity when taking astaxanthin and fish oils for dryness. But my main sensitivity is to fluorescent lighting as apposed to sunlight.

[david2404]

Hi Hopeful.

My issue is also with artificial light (TV/Computer/Fluorescent). The astaxanthin seems to work mainly as a function of protecting your skin against the UV. But I thought some of the benefits may carry through to desensitising against other forms of light. I guess I'll try again in the near future.