It’s not often that a patient returns to a practice just to say, “Thank you,” but that’s exactly what happened to Julie Poteet, OD, MS, CNS, FOWNS, who practices at a MyEyeDr in Atlanta. Dr. Poteet’s elderly patient came to personally thank her for recommending Blink NutriTears (Bausch + Lomb), sharing how her eyes were feeling.
Blink NutriTears is an OTC ocular nutritional supplement designed to promote healthy tear production by addressing dry eyes from the inside out. The formula includes lutein, zeaxanthin, curcumin, and vitamin D3, which was tested in a study published in Frontiers in Ophthalmology. The study results indicate that this once-daily supplement improved tear production, stability, and quality. Key measurements, including tear film breakup time, tear film osmolarity, corneal and conjunctival staining, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, all demonstrated positive results (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05481450).
Here, Dr. Poteet,* Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, IFMCP, FOWNS, and Laura M. Periman, MD, discuss this oral nutraceutical, outlining its application in clinical practice and the outcomes observed in their patients.
Educating on Nutritional Deficiencies
When discussing Blink NutriTears with her patients, Dr. Gioia, founder of Integrative Vision, in Shrewsbury, NJ, and president of the Ocular Wellness & Nutrition Society, explains the key nutrients needed for optimal eye health. She educates her patients who have dry eyes on which vitamins and minerals may be lacking, and how Blink NutriTears can specifically help address those deficiencies.
According to Dr. Gioia, patients who benefit the most are often those whose recent blood work shows vitamin deficiencies, those using medications that cause ocular dryness, and/or those engaging in activities that contribute to eye dryness, such as smoking.
An example patient script: “The eye is connected to the body. There are key ingredients in Blink NutriTears that are anti-inflammatory and, therefore, can result in improvements in your dry eye disease symptoms of blurry vision, burning, grittiness, irritation, itching, and light sensitivity.”
Dr. Poteet agrees with this approach, emphasizing to her patients how chronic ocular surface inflammation contributes to tear film dysfunction, which, in turn, causes their symptoms. She also explains how Blink NutriTears effectively targets and addresses this underlying issue.
“I like to get to the root of anything I treat, and addressing ocular surface inflammation using this ocular nutritional supplement is one means of doing so,” she explains.
Making It Part of a Regimen
Dr. Periman, founder and director of Dry Eye Services and Clinical Research, at Periman Eye Institute, in Seattle, says she discusses with patients what she calls the “Five pillars of wellness:” (1) nutritional support, (2) sleep hygiene, (3) hydration, (4) exercise, and (5) mindfulness.
She says Blink NutriTears is a part of the nutritional pillar because the product provides antioxidant nutritional support. This is based on her review of the early clinical findings, case studies, and her own experience recommending it since it became commercially available.
Dr. Periman explains that she shares information about the supplement during the initial evaluation and diagnosis, and then reinforces its importance at follow-up appointments. She says she emphasizes the role of nutrition and clinically studied ocular nutritional supplements as key components of the “Five Pillars of Wellness.” OM
*Dr. Poteet was a clinical study investigator for Blink NutriTears.
