Today we’re going to talk about how peptides might actually help heal your eyes.
If that sounds wild, stick with me. There’s some amazing early research showing how specific peptides may help with things like macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, corneal wounds, and even age-related vision loss. We’re going to break it all down in plain language, and I’ll also explain how each peptide might actually work inside the eye.
Let’s jump in.
AXT107
Let’s start with AXT107 — a peptide designed to help stop the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the back of the eye. These rogue vessels are a major problem in conditions like wet macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
AXT107 is an injection that’s given directly into the eye that targets VEGF and angiopoietin receptors, two major players in abnormal blood vessel growth. In animal studies, it not only stopped new vessels from forming, but also reversed existing damage. Bonus? It forms a little gel-like depot in the eye that slowly releases over time, so it may last longer than current injection-based treatments.
BPC-157
If you’ve heard of peptides for gut repair or injury recovery, you’ve probably come across BPC-157. But it’s also being studied for the eye, especially for corneal healing.
BPC-157 eye drops seem to speed up corneal epithelial repair — that’s the outer layer of your eye — while reducing inflammation. In rat studies, it helped close up corneal wounds faster, which means it might help with things like dry eye, abrasions, or even post-surgical healing. In fact, while most corneal abrasions fully heal within one to two weeks, BPC-157 can reduce the healing time by several days.
Elamipretide (SS31) — The Mitochondria Booster
This next peptide is especially intriguing — Elamipretide, also known as SS31. You might remember we’ve mentioned it before for its potential in age-related and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. But now, researchers are also exploring its role in slowing or even reversing age-related vision decline when given as an eye or subcutaneous injection.
This peptide goes deep — literally — into the mitochondria of retinal cells, helping them work more efficiently. In aging mice, Elamipretide improved contrast sensitivity and even reversed some vision loss. So it’s not just slowing decline — it may actually restore function.
P21
The next peptide is P21. P21 is a neurotrophic peptide, which means it helps keep nerve cells healthy. In the eye, that’s a huge deal for preserving vision.
P21 protects photoreceptors and retinal pigment cells, while also calming inflammation when given as a subcutaneous injection. In aging rats with retinal damage, it helped reduce nerve cell death and slowed degeneration.
Visoluten
Now let’s talk about Visoluten, an oral peptide we’ve discussed before in a previous podcast. As a refresher, it’s important to remember that Visoluten is a bioregulatory peptide that helps support the health of the retina—the part of your eye that converts light into the images you see. It works by supporting the metabolic activity of eye tissues, helping maintain healthy vision and improving the eye’s ability to adapt to stress, aging, or challenging environmental conditions.
Think of it like nutritional support for the eye — especially helpful for people dealing with screen fatigue, bright light exposure, or chronic eye stress.
This peptide helps support the eye’s natural metabolic activity, which is key to keeping the retina functioning well and protecting it from things like oxidative stress and environmental wear and tear. Think of it as giving your eyes extra support to stay resilient, especially when they’re under strain.
Visoluten may also enhance blood flow to the eye, making sure the retina gets the oxygen and nutrients it needs to work properly. That’s especially important for people with conditions like age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy, where poor circulation and tissue damage are part of the problem.
Retinalamin
Another oral peptide, Retinalamin, is already being used in some clinical settings — especially in parts of Europe and Asia — for retinal diseases.
It helps normalize vascular permeability in the retina and supports repair mechanisms. It’s shown benefits in people with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, sometimes even improving visual acuity when given intramuscularly or as an injection around the eye.
PEDF-Derived Peptides
Here’s where things start to feel futuristic — researchers have developed peptides derived from PEDF, or pigment epithelium-derived factor. PEDF is a natural protein found in the eye — especially in the retina. It plays a protective role by preventing damage to light-sensitive cells, reducing inflammation, and blocking abnormal blood vessel growth. PEDF is considered one of the most powerful natural antioxidants and anti-angiogenic (anti–blood vessel growth) factors in the eye. They help protect photoreceptors from stress and damage — without needing gene therapy or injections.
These peptides are being turned into eye drops that may slow or stop diseases like retinitis pigmentosa (a group of inherited eye diseases that cause the gradual breakdown of the retina, leading to vision loss that often starts with night blindness and progresses to tunnel vision). They also help with AMD, or age-related macular degeneration (an eye condition that affects the central part of the retina (the macula), leading to blurred or lost central vision, especially in older adults.
PHSRN & FGLM-Amide
The next two peptides I want to talk about are PHSRN and FGLM-Amide. They are also being formulated as eye drops and are specifically focused on healing the cornea.
They activate something called the fibronectin-integrin system, which basically helps the eye’s outer surface cells stick together and heal faster. Great for persistent epithelial defects or those stubborn wounds that don’t want to close.
ALG-1001 (Luminate)
Finally, there’s ALG-1001, also known as Luminate. A peptide that is administered directly into the eye.
Luminate is a first-in-class peptide drug that targets integrin receptors in the retina—key players in abnormal blood vessel formation. Instead of targeting VEGF, like current treatments, Luminate blocks integrins upstream, preventing both the growth and leakage of harmful vessels — which can be helpful in AMD and diabetic eye disease.
It also has a bonus effect: it helps gently separate the vitreous gel from the retina — a process called pharmacologic vitreolysis. This is especially helpful for people with vitreomacular traction (VMT), a condition where the gel pulls too hard on the retina, causing swelling or vision problems. In clinical studies, about 65% of patients had that pulling relieved after treatment — a result that normally requires surgery.
What About Cosmetic Peptides for the Eye Area
Just to clarify — eye creams with peptides like Matrixyl 3000, Copper Peptides, or Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 are designed to help with puffiness, dark circles, and fine lines — but they don’t affect the internal eye.
They work by stimulating collagen in the skin around the eyes — and while great for cosmetic use, they won’t help with things like glaucoma or macular degeneration.
*Some Words of Caution
Most of the peptides we talked about today are still in preclinical or early clinical stages. That means they’re promising, but not FDA-approved just yet. So please — no DIY peptide eye drops or injections unless you’re working directly with a qualified provider.
And as always, if you’re dealing with real eye problems, your first stop should be a board-certified ophthalmologist, not a Telegram group or a tweet thread.
So there you have it — a quick tour through the exciting, ever-evolving world of peptide therapy for the eyes. From boosting mitochondria to healing corneal wounds, these tiny proteins might be shaping the future of vision care.
If you found this episode helpful or interesting, go ahead and share it with someone who stares at screens all day — or your biohacker friend who’s already two steps ahead.
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Until next time, be well, and as always, have a happy, healthy week.
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