It is encouraging that advances are being made in the possible use of gene therapy. This is aimed at treating conditions where the retina is damaged but the underlying nerve tissue and optic nerve are still working. As LHON damages the nerve tissue this treatment is not thought to be useful for LHON patients. Leber's Congenital Amaurosis , a form of Retinitis Pigmentosa, and Age-related Macula Degeneration are among the major conditions which this treatment may eventually help. A form of Vitamin B12 called Cyanocobalamin can make the symptoms of LHON worse and should be avoided by people carrying the LHON genes.
Some vitamins are poisonous if taken in large doses.
Do not take high doses of vitamins without medical supervision. This is a drug which is being studied as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's Disease, and may be able to treat the symptoms of LHON during the acute stage. It is NOT a proven treatment for LHON, not even for Alzheimer's, but it has been used to treat some LHON patients. I am adding this information to the LHON Treatment page because of the many questions raised about Idebenone. As far as I know there are no controlled studies of Idebenone as a treatment for LHON going on now and no large-scale studies have been done.