Many baby boomers pay close attention to their eye health because of fears over vision-related diseases such as macular degeneration. As awareness of eye health has grown, so too has the number of products dedicated to maintaining optimum vision wellness.
A healthy, balanced diet is usually sufficient for most people to get the vitamins and supplements they need to keep their eyes healthy. Yet some people still like to enhance their diets with nutritional supplements, including those specifically formulated for vision and overall eye health. But many are buying eye health supplements over the counter at a retail store and not in doctors’ offices. Two of the top 10 products sold at retail are the eye supplements Ocuvite 50+ and PreserVision AREDS 2 formula with multivitamin, both non-prescription supplements.
Topically, one treatment ophthalmologist Patrick Caskey has recommended for years for healthy eyelashes is a simple one: Use baby shampoo lather to wash your eyelashes in the shower! ECPs now have an array of cleansers and eye health supplements to choose from.
PreserVision AREDS 2 FORMULA and multivitamin, Bausch + Lomb
(800) 828-9030, bausch.com
Fortifeye Super Omega-3 Fish Oil, Fortifeye Vitamins
(866) 503-9746, fortifeye.com
Thera Tears eye nutrition Omega 3 supplement with fish oil, Akorn Pharmaceuticals
(800) 932-5676, akorn.com
Avenova, NovaBayPharmaceuticals
(510) 899-8800, novabay.com
ZocuFoam eyelid cleanser and moisturizer, Zocular
(844) 962-8527, zocular.com
Lid Scrub Plus Platinum, OcuSoft
(800) 233-5469, ocusoft.com
Natural tea tree eyelid and eyelash foaming cleanser, We Love Eyes
(510) 740-8003, weloveeyesxo.com
Smart Ways to Sell Healthy Eye Products
Dr. Patrick Caskey
North Bay Vitreoretinal Consultants, Santa Rosa, CA
We only sell Avenova which is Rx-only, to clean lids and lashes quickly. We can also provide a prescription so patients can pick it up at the pharmacy. We tend to see older patients with age-related macular degeneration and many have chronic blepharitis or dry eye. We recommend Avenova to them to clear the blepharitis to minimize the risk of infection from intravitreal injections. I’ve tried a variety of lid scrubs and lid hygiene products but found Avenova to be the most effective at clearing up infections within a week.
Dr. Suzette Blahnik Blahnik Eye Care, Port Orange, FL
Many of my millennial patients are aware of the environment and want to use healthy products. I talk to my patients about taking fish oil for dry eyes like Thera Tears Nutrition capsule, or using a lid scrub, or taking supplements like Vitamin D and Lutein. But, when I came across the tea tree eyelid cleanser from We Love Eyes, I thought it was great. Me and my staff tried it, and now I recommend it to my patients. It’s paraben-free and perfect for the younger generation who wear a lot of mascara and eyelash extensions. They love the way it smells and works and I’m excited to offer my patients something with natural ingredients.
Dr. Jeffry Gerson
Grin Eye Care, Olathe, KS
We need to talk to our patients about adopting a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle, but if they aren’t doing that, then supplements are important. We sell some products through a website portal like eyepromise.com which offers several from different supplement manufacturers. But, the one I recommend the most is Bausch + Lomb’s PreserVision AREDS 2 Formula with Multivitamin, which clinical trials have shown to be effective.
This article originally appeared in the November 2016 edition of INVISION.