Melatonin is a naturally-occurring hormone produced in the body primarily responsible for the regulation of sleeping patterns. But since 1993, melatonin has been readily available for over-the-counter use as a dietary supplement in the United States.

Since then, supplementing with melatonin has traditionally been used as a natural sleep purveyor. Sleeping pills have never been more prevalent than they are today, many of them abused due to dependence – the feeling that one can’t fall asleep without some assistance.

But people tired (pun unintended) of feeling groggy and in want of a natural sleep “assister” should steer themselves toward melatonin (preferably when one’s awake and alert). Studies show that not only does it improve sleep, but it doesn’t cause the drowsiness so often attributed to prescription sleeping pills. What’s more, melatonin can help reduce symptoms associated with dependence on the addictive ingredient in prescription-based sleeping pills (called benzodiazepines).

If this were all melatonin provided, it’d be worthy of taking now and then, whenever one had trouble sleeping. But for anyone even remotely concerned about his or her eyes, a new Argentinean study indicates why melatonin is worth a second look (pun intended).

That’s because researchers from the University of Buenos Aires and the National Research Council have discovered that melatonin may help stave off a disease that’s responsible for 15 percent of permanent vision loss in the country.

The disease is called uveitis and is called that because it involves the inflammation of the uvea (any word ending in “-itis” refers to inflammation), a portion of the eye that can’t be seen without a special tool ophthalmologists use during eye exams (the uvea is between the outermost and innermost layers of the eye). When anyone experiences any combination of significant itching in the eye, accompanied by redness, swelling around the eye, blurred vision, eye pain and sensitivity to light, it’s a good bet uveitis is the culprit.

From a chemical/scientific standpoint, uveitis appears to occur when certain cells are higher than they ought to be (the cells are called TNF alpha and NF-kappa B for those interested). But experimental models indicate that those levels reduce when melatonin levels are elevated through treatment.

As per usual when it comes to scientific study, more research needs to be done, but this is a very encouraging finding regarding a supplement that was once believed to only be beneficial for regulating sleep. But we in the natural health world know this was never melatonin’s sole beneficial function. Others include improving blood pressure readings, reducing the severity of headaches, delaying the onset of type I diabetes (based on animal studies), even helping with smoking cessation.