Astaxanthin, Lutein and Zeaxanthin for Eye-Hand Coordination after Screen Use
What it found
In healthy adults who regularly used screens, a daily supplement of astaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin improved eye-hand coordination after a screen task at eight weeks, but did not clearly improve smooth-pursuit eye movements.
What they found
Studies in people
Eye-hand coordination
After the screen task at eight weeks, the active group had shorter eye-hand coordination times and a higher accuracy rate than the placebo group. The change in coordination time from before to after the screen task was also smaller in the active group.
Smooth-pursuit eye movements
At two weeks, the change in reaction time for smooth-pursuit eye movements was smaller in the active group than in the placebo group. At four and eight weeks, there was no clear difference between the groups.
Macular pigment density
The change in macular pigment optical density from the start to eight weeks was higher in the active group than in the placebo group.
Quality of life
The quality of life questionnaire showed no differences between the groups.
Safety checks
No medically problematic changes in height, body weight, BMI or blood pressure were seen during the study. The web diary recorded no adverse events causally related to the test food.
What the authors conclude
“Consumption of a supplement containing astaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin mitigates the decline of eye-hand coordination after VDT operation.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that consumption of a supplement containing astaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin mitigates the decline of eye-hand coordination after VDT operation.
- They state that consumption of the test foods improved eye-hand coordination function impaired by VDT operation.
- They also say that consumption of the test foods was found to be safe under the conditions of this study.
How it was done
The authors say that screen use can impair eye-hand coordination and smooth-pursuit eye movements, which can affect daily activities, and no effective methods were known. They wanted to test whether these three food ingredients could prevent that impairment.
They ran a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 64 healthy Japanese adults aged 20 to 60 who regularly used screens. Participants took one soft capsule daily for eight weeks containing 6 mg astaxanthin, 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin, or a placebo. Eye-hand coordination, smooth-pursuit eye movements and macular pigment optical density were measured at 0, 2, 4 and 8 weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- The study cannot show whether the effects are due to astaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin together or to one of them alone, because they were given as a combination.
- It cannot show whether these results apply to people who do not regularly use screens or to other age groups.
- It cannot show whether the supplement would work the same way over a longer period than eight weeks.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Yoshida, K., Osamu, S., Honda, T. and Kikuya, T. are employees of the Senju Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a sponsor and funder of this study. The other authors declare that there is no potential conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Kansai University of Welfare Sciences, Japan; Kindai University, Japan; Ritsumeikan University, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Effects of Astaxanthin, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin on Eye-Hand Coordination and Smooth-Pursuit Eye Movement after Visual Display Terminal Operation in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Intergroup Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Yoshida K, Sakai O, Honda T, et al (2023). Effects of Astaxanthin, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin on Eye-Hand Coordination and Smooth-Pursuit Eye Movement after Visual Display Terminal Operation in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Intergroup Trial. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu15061459Free full textPubMed 36986186DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error