Description
Eye Nourish Complex 60 capsules: Eye health supplement and vision formula
Product summary
Eye Nourish Complex is a comprehensive eye supplement, offering all-round support for normal vision (backed by science), including visual fatigue related to screens – essential in today’s modern age.
This research-based formula includes a range of specific herbs, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for eye health, including:
The herbs
- Bilberry fruit and pine bark.
The nutrients
- Lutein, zeaxanthin and bioflavonoids.
The vitamins and minerals
- Vitamin C, zinc, manganese, copper, selenium and vitamin E.
NO magnesium stearate in this formula.
Aside from the desire to ensure eyes remain healthy, many people today also seek eye supplement support because they experience tired, strained eyes on a regular basis. In today’s modern age of electronic screens, this is exacerbated by a type of light emitted by digital screens called blue light. This is a type of visible light that can damage the delicate cells responsible for our vision. Like UV light, blue light has a cumulative effect, meaning that the more you’re exposed to it, the more it impacts your eye and overall health.
Bilberry, pine bark and eye health…
Anthocyanins (also known as anthocyanosides, a type of flavonoid and natural pigment which give the characteristic dark blue colour to bilberries) have been shown to be useful for people with vision problems. Bilberry has been suggested as a treatment for retinopathy (damage to the retina), because anthocyanosides appear to help protect the retina and tend to have a particular affinity for the eye and vascular tissues. Bilberry has also exhibited protective effects against age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, dry eyes, retinitis pigmentosa, eye fatigue and night vision.*
*Shim, S. H., Kim, J. M., Choi, C. Y., Kim, C. Y., & Park, K. H. (2012). Ginkgo biloba extract and bilberry anthocyanins improve visual function in patients with normal tension glaucoma. Journal of medicinal food, 15(9), 818–823. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2012.2241
Another supplement that has shown value in ocular health is pine bark. It has powerful antioxidant capacity, doubling the synthesis of antioxidative enzymes and acting as a free radical scavenger. It also plays a role in the regeneration and preservation of vitamins C and E, potentiating its antioxidant activity. It is a powerful vasodilator and an antagonist to inflammation.*
*Rohdewald P. (2002). A review of the French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol), a herbal medication with a diverse clinical pharmacology. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 40(4):158-168. https://doi.org/10.5414/cpp40158.
Pine bark extract has been found to increase vascular resistance, specifically in the capillaries*, and therefore has been studied in diabetic retinopathy.
*Schönlau, F., & Rohdewald, P. (2001). Pycnogenol for diabetic retinopathy. A review. International ophthalmology, 24(3), 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1021160924583
Bilberry and pine bark extracts are therefore two powerful compounds that have shown to be beneficial in the pathophysiology of various ocular diseases. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of these two substances, in addition to their other mechanisms of action, render them potent adjunct therapies in conditions such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, among others.
Lutein esters and zeaxanthin…
This supplement has been formulated to provide extra levels of zeaxanthin and lutein esters. Both lutein and zeaxanthin are found in the main part of the retina responsible for clear vision, and supplementation may therefore help to improve visual performance with prolonged screen use in healthy individuals. Lutein and zeaxanthin have also been shown to benefit cognitive health in all age groups, from infants to late adulthood.
Lutein and zeaxanthin have identical chemical formulas and are isomers.
Lutein is a carotenoid (a yellow-coloured antioxidant pigment) that is fat-soluble and is in the class of carotenoids called xanthophylls (which means it carries an oxygen molecule). It naturally occurs in plants such as marigold.
Zeaxanthin is a critical antioxidant that is chosen by the retina to protect central vision. Additionally, zeaxanthin is accumulated in the fovea (centre of the retina) twice as much as lutein.
However, while zeaxanthin is extremely important, lutein is crucial too. This antioxidant plays an important role in protecting vision from dangerous blue light, and it has been found to help support many other parts of the body too.
Lutein helps to support eye health and may help reduce the risk of progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Vitamin C and citrus bioflavonoids…
Vitamin C and bioflavonoids are important antioxidants that help to keep your eyes and body healthy. Research suggests vitamin C and bioflavonoids have a complementary effect, making both nutrients more effective if ingested together (as in our EyeNourish Complex formula) rather than separately.
Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin and a powerful antioxidant. Abundant in fruits and vegetables, vitamin C helps the body form and maintain connective tissue, including collagen found in the cornea of the eye. Vitamin C also promotes healthy bones, skin and blood vessels, including the delicate capillaries in the retina. Studies suggest long-term consumption of vitamin C also may reduce the risk of forming a cataract and vision loss from macular degeneration.
Approved EFSA health claims:
- Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal vision, normal DNA synthesis, normal acid-base metabolism, normal carbohydrate metabolism, normal cognitive function, normal fertility and reproduction, normal macronutrient metabolism, normal metabolism of fatty acids, normal metabolism of vitamin A, normal protein synthesis, the maintenance of normal bones, the maintenance of normal hair, nails and skin, the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood, the normal function of the immune system, the protection of cells from oxidative stress and it has a role in the process of cell division. Click here and here for EFSA scientific opinions.
- Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair, the maintenance of normal nails, the normal function of the immune system, normal thyroid function and the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Click here and here for EFSA scientific opinions.
- Copper contributes to the maintenance of normal connective tissues, normal hair pigmentation, normal skin pigmentation, protection of cells from oxidative stress, normal function of the immune system, normal functioning of the nervous system, normal energy-yielding metabolism and normal iron transport in the body. Click here and here for EFSA scientific opinions.
- Manganese contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, the maintenance of normal bones, the normal formation of connective tissue and to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Click here and here for EFSA scientific opinions.
- Vitamin C contributes to maintaining the normal function of the immune system. It also contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels, bones, cartilage, gums, skin and teeth, normal energy-yielding metabolism, normal functioning of the nervous system, normal psychological function, protection of cells from oxidative stress, the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E and increases iron absorption. Click here and here for EFSA scientific opinions.
- Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Click here for EFSA scientific opinion.
