The retina-deep antioxidant

AstaReal® Astaxanthin — the antioxidant that reaches the retina.

A deep-red carotenoid from microalgae — and one of the few antioxidants that crosses the blood-retinal barrier to reach the eye itself. We use AstaReal®, the original Japanese astaxanthin, at 4 mg: the dose used in its digital-eye-strain trial.

The original Japanese astaxanthin · AstaReal® · Toyama, Japan

AstaReal® · natural astaxanthin · from microalgae

The pigment that turns algae red — and shields the eye.

Under stress, Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae flood their cells with astaxanthin and turn deep crimson — the same pigment that colours wild salmon and krill. It's an unusual antioxidant: fat-soluble and shaped to slip across the blood-retinal barrier, so it reaches the retina and the ciliary muscle your eyes lean on hardest through a long screen day.

Blood-retinalbarrier — one of the few antioxidants that crosses it
4 mgthe dose used in its digital-eye-strain trial
Japanwhere natural astaxanthin was pioneered (AstaReal®)

How it reaches the eye

Fat-soluble and small enough to pass the barrier that blocks most antioxidants — so it reaches the retina itself.

Schematic illustration of astaxanthin's known distribution into ocular tissue — not a measurement or a depiction of any result.

What it does in the eye

  • Reaches the retina — crosses the blood-retinal barrierFat-soluble and small enough to slip across the blood-retinal barrier — so it reaches the retina and ciliary muscle themselves, where most antioxidants can’t follow.
  • Potent antioxidant defence for hard-working eye tissueA potent antioxidant that neutralizes the free radicals a long screen day stirs up in hard-working eye tissue, before they build up.
  • Eases screen-driven eye fatigueLess oxidative load inside the eye means less of the tired, strained feeling that sets in after hours of close screen work.
  • Supports focusing comfort after long visual workSupports the ciliary muscle your eyes lean on to hold focus — so refocusing stays comfortable through a long visual day.
  • Supports healthy blood flow within the eyeSupports healthy circulation to the tissues at the back of the eye, keeping them supplied through sustained visual work.

Measured in a human trial — at our 4 mg dose

AstaReal® · RDBPC

4 mg a day, in heavy screen users

64 children aged 10–14 on screens ≥4 hrs/day · randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled · 84 days · Advances in Therapy, 2025

−27%lower acute digital eye-strain scores vs placebo
−20%lower chronic digital eye-strain scores vs placebo
Moretear production & faster focus recovery after screen load

Hecht et al., Advances in Therapy 2025;42:1811–1833 (AstaReal-conducted). AstaReal® astaxanthin 4 mg — conducted in children aged 10–14, the population studied at this dose; a study of the ingredient, not this finished product.

On the dose: 4 mg is the amount used in astaxanthin's own placebo-controlled eye trial — and here it's one of four eye actives, each covering a different part of a screen day (macular pigment, the tear film, antioxidant defence, and zinc for the vitamin A the retina uses), rather than one active carried alone. The small adult accommodation trials (Nitta 2005; Nagaki 2002) used 5–6 mg of astaxanthin on its own.

AstaReal® is natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae, pioneered by Fuji Chemical Industries (Toyama, Japan). Ours is cultivated at AstaReal’s facility in Washington State, USA. These structure/function statements have not been evaluated by the FDA; this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Cited studies are of the astaxanthin ingredient, not this finished formula. Photography shows raw astaxanthin, not the capsule.