Abstract: Aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the protective and antioxidant properties of the natural compounds lutein and astaxanthin on human primary corneal epithelial cells (HCE-F) exposed to high intensities of blue light. To this purpose, HCE-F cells were irradiated with a blue-light lamp (415-420 nm) at different energies (0 – 20 – 50 - 80 J/cm²). Lutein and astaxanthin at doses found to be nontoxic (50 – 100 – 250 mM) were added to HCE-F right before blue-light irradiation at the selected dose of 50 J/cm². In all experiments, viability was evaluated by the MTT assay and by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using the H2DCF-DA assay. Viability of HCE-F cells progressively decreased from 20 J/cm² to 80 J/cm², and ROS production dramatically increased at 50 and 80 J/cm². The presence of lutein or astaxanthin protected the cells from phototoxicity, with lutein slightly more efficient than astaxanthin also on the blunting of ROS. The association of lutein and astaxanthin was equally effective, and apparently did not give an advantage over the use of lutein alone likely because of the higher efficiency of lutein in blunting blue light radiation, while astaxanthin is more efficient towards the higher wavelengths.