A new research has revealed that substances which are commonly found in green tea might be very beneficial infighting eye disease.

A team of scientists from the department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Hong Kong have managed to discover that substances found in green tea tend to penetrate into the tissues of the eye, a fact which was previously not known as scientists were not sure if catechins, which are basically antioxidants thought to protect the body against damage caused by oxygen, could make their way from the mouth to the gastrointestinal system, and eventually to the eyes.

The latest study has emerged as the first of its kind to detail how the lens, retina and other tissues with the eyes tend to absorb substances like catechins.

The study was carried out with laboratory rats that were mainly fed green fed over a substantial period of time. Dissection and study of the rats' eye tissue at a later stage revealed a significant absorption of individual catechins into various structures of the eye.

Details of the study have been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.