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Students Learn About New Study of the Vitreous
Professor John Nolan, PhD, continues to make innovative discoveries in his research of nutrition's role in eye health. He recently shared some of his findings in a live interactive webinar that kicked off Marshall B. Ketchum University's Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) two-part series titled Ocular Disease March 19, 2022.
MacuHealth, the industry leader in science-certified eye supplements, was a Platinum sponsor of the series, which covered a variety of topics selected by the experts at SCCO. Prominent guest presenters shared evidence-based, clinically relevant information that optometrists can use in their practice.
Professor Nolan’s course, titled Optimizing Antioxidants of the Vitreous and Macula and Their Implications, described how nutrition enhances the health of the vitreous and reduces the risk of ocular disease while improving a patient’s vision-related quality of life. It also showed the link between vitreous antioxidants and eye floaters.
Professor Nolan also shared the results of the groundbreaking double-blind, placebo-controlled Floater Intervention Study (FLIES1), in which he collaborated with researcher Dr. Emmanuel Ankamah. The FLIES study demonstrated that supplementing with vitreous antioxidants can reduce visual disturbances caused by vitreous floaters.
For six months, patients were given the blend of nutrients to help protect it against oxidative stress and disease. Research shows the vitreous loses these nutrients over time, causing the collagen fibers inside it to clump together. These clumps, called floaters, cast shadows on the retina.
The results showed that 67% of patients taking the antioxidants recognized an improvement in their symptoms within the six-month period. The study also boasted the following results:
- 46% decrease in visual discomfort from floaters
- 47% improvement in daily visual experience
- 9% improvement in contrast sensitivity
MacuHealth is proud to be a part of events that show students how research and innovation move the field of optometry forward. If your school or student organization would like to learn more about how diet and vision are related, please email Emily Blum at eblum@macuhealth.com for details.
1. Ankamah et al. 2021. doi.org/10.1167/tvst.10.12.19
