According to a new study trial, saffron, a spice used in curries and which gives the curry its yellow colour, when given to volunteers for three months in the form of pills, brought about a significant improvement in their vision.

This has led to experts in Australia and Italy claiming the aromatic herb could hold the key to loss of eyesight in the elderly.

As well, the study’s findings indicate, the spice also protects the eyes from any damage caused by bright sunlight.

Study lead Prof. Silvia Bisti from the University of Sydney found patients’ vision to improve after taking the saffron pill for a recommended period of time.

When tested with traditional eye charts, many could read one or two lines smaller than they could before, whilst others were able to read newspapers and books again.

Similar tests carried out in Italy showed patients to experience vision improvement while taking the saffron pill, though the effects quickly disappeared after they stopped taking it.

Prof. Bisti first studied the effects of saffron at L’Aquila, a widely-grown local crop in Italy’s mountainous Abruzzi region, where it is a prized ingredient in the cooking of risotto, including being a traditional medicine used for treating cancerous tumours and depression.

Well-known as an antioxidant, Prof. Bisti believes saffron affects genes responsible for regulating the fatty acid content of the cell membrane, thus making the vision cells ‘tougher and more resilient’.

As well, the herb has properties that encourage oxygen flow, including preventing cell death.

A saffron diet in previous animals studies have shown it to protect the eye from the damaging effects of bright light.

Researchers have begun a year long trial to find out how saffron works, including its ability to treat genetic eye diseases like retinitis pigmentosa that caused lifelong blindness in young people.