It’s no secret that with every day, society is getting older. It doesn’t matter if you’re 2 days old or 99 years old, with every minute that passes, we’re aging. In fact, statistics show that in the United States, the aging population is set to grow within the next few years. In the last decade alone, the number of people above the age of 65 has steadily risen, increasing by at least 3,000 people each year. Along with age comes a host of health concerns, and these include age-related eye health issues.

As a baby boomer herself, Pamela Lowe, OD, FAAO, admits in an article for Women in Optometry that she’s becoming more intrigued and concerned about aging eye health and other chronic illnesses associated with aging. When Dr. Lowe first decided to go into optometry, she did not think she would have invested so much in the research and solutions surrounding age-related eye health.

In her years as an optometrist, she has noticed more patients emerging with risk factors for age-related eye health concerns. This is part of what inspired her to start her "center of excellence" for the protection against age-related eye health issues. In her center, she stresses proactive care and proper nutrition, which often involves eye health nutraceuticals. “The literature suggests if we identify people at the front end of [developing eye health problems] and teach them how to improve their nutritional status, we can help many patients [protect] their vision.”

Her Plan

Dr. Lowe uses innovative tests like macular pigment optical density (MPOD) measurement to help identify patients at risk of age-related eye health concerns. “We want to identify patients with suboptimal MPOD protection of lower than 0.50 density units (d.u.) and eliminate this [age-related eye health] risk factor,” Dr. Lowe says. She uses the QuantifEye^® MPS II, the industry-standard MPOD measurement instrument, in her practice because she knows she will get accurate and reliable results with every test. But as mentioned before, nutrition is a pinnacle piece of her center of excellence, which is why Dr. Lowe trusts EyePromise^® nutraceuticals for her patients and practice.

“I’ve done my due diligence to understand the science, and I’ve seen consistent results in increasing MPOD with the EyePromise brand. [They] offer a high-quality, pharmaceutical-grade line of ocular nutrition supplements validated by clinical research. They not only help my patients at risk for [age-related eye health problems], but also dramatically improve tear quality and comfort for my patients suffering from [occasional] dry eye. EyePromise DVS provides important nutritional support for my patients with [trouble regulating their blood glucose levels]…EyePromise has all the eye vitamin choices necessary to meet my patient’s needs."

Dr. Lowe utilizes EyePromise products in combination with the QuantifEye MPS II to build acceptance and recognition of her center for excellence. She discloses that her patients are intrigued to learn about her proactive approach and appreciate her concern for their long-term eye health. After working with EyePromise for the past decade, Dr. Lowe believes in the QuantifEye Program and continues to prescribe the nutraceuticals and test her patients in-practice.

For more information on measuring MPOD and the QuantifEye MPS II, contact an EyePromise representative.

If you’d like to learn more about zeaxanthin and lutein from leading experts, download a copy of the Carotenoid Roundtable.