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Helping patients and creating a new profit center.
Kirk L. Smick, OD, FAAO
July 31, 2024
As education director for SECO, Optometry’s Meeting and Vision Expo Meetings East and West, I had the opportunity to interact with the majority of sponsors and exhibitors.
One of the companies that I had a chance to sit down with manufactured ophthalmic vitamins and nutraceuticals.
I had never seriously considered offering these products to my patient base, however, recent trips to a physical therapy center and podiatrist made me aware that many different healthcare providers were offering nutraceuticals to their patients.
In fact, many optometrists now actively prescribe and sell nutraceuticals. However, many of us are still not fully knowledgeable about the benefits of supplementation, or we feel we still don’t know enough about the value to both patients and profitability of incorporating these products in our practices. Here is what I learned.
Nutraceuticals as Part of Patients’ Overall Eye Health Management
What I learned from Zac Denning of ScienceBased Health was that optometrists and ophthalmologists are increasingly recommending or suggesting certain nutraceuticals as part of a patient’s overall eye health management.
Editor’s Note: There are many nutraceuticals to choose from including EyePromise, Ocuvite and MacuHealth, among other options.
While they are not “prescribed” in the same way medications are, these practitioners may advise their patients to consider incorporating specific nutraceutical supplements into their daily routine based on individual needs and conditions.
These recommendations are typically made in addition to traditional treatments, such as prescription eyewear, medications or surgical interventions.
Nutraceuticals can complement traditional medical approaches by providing added support for eye health, especially in conditions like age-related macular degeneration, dry eye syndrome or general eye fatigue.
I found that some common nutraceuticals offered by eye doctors were Omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation and support overall retinal function. They are commonly found in fish oil supplements. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are carotenoids that help filter harmful high-energy blue wavelengths of light and act as antioxidants in the eye.
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They are often recommended to reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration. When we have patients who have a family history of ARMD we always suggest these agents. Our patients’ acceptance rate of these recommendations was >80 percent.
In my practice, we are also proactive in prescribing blue light filters in our patients’ eyeglass prescriptions. Vitamin C and E are also antioxidants that help protect the eyes from damage caused by free radicals. Zinc is essential for maintaining healthy vision and is often included in several eye health supplements.
Finally, some studies suggest that bilberry extract may improve night vision and help with vascular issues in the retina.
Not a Replacement for Traditional Medical Treatment
It’s important to note that while nutraceuticals can be beneficial for eye health, they should not replace traditional medical treatment or prescribed medications. The market value of ocular nutraceuticals, which includes supplements and products targeted towards eye health, has been steadily increasing in recent years. The global market for ocular nutraceuticals is influenced by factors such as growing awareness of eye health, an aging population, increased prevalence of eye diseases and a shift towards preventative healthcare practices.1.
A Growing Market ODs Should Be at Forefront of Capturing
We saw during the pandemic that people began to focus more on prevention of healthcare needs. They also used screen time more frequently, increasing complaints of ocular fatigue.
According to various market research reports, the global ocular nutraceuticals market was valued at approximately $1.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach around $3 billion by 2027. There is no reason why optometry shouldn’t be the leading driver of this market.
More and more innovative products are being introduced to the market each year. As more consumers recognize the importance of maintaining good eye health, and seek out non-invasive ways to support their vision, the market for ocular nutraceuticals is likely to continue expanding. This trend underscores the potential for nutraceuticals to play a significant role in promoting eye health and addressing eye-related concerns.
The prevalence of regular dietary supplement use among physicians and nurses (51 percent and 59 percent, respectively) was similar to the prevalence of use reported among adults in NHANES 1999-2000, where 52 percent of adults surveyed said they had taken supplements in the past month.2.
ROI of Nutraceuticals in Typical OD Practice
Here is a scenario of potential profit for those optometrists who dispense nutraceuticals from their office: Assuming the practice sees 12 comprehensive patients/day or 240/month: Most practices say that close to half their patients complain of dry eye symptoms, or 120 patients.
If only a quarter of those follow a supplement recommendation – that would be 30 patients/month, but let’s say that 75 percent of those 30 patients dropped off after two months: The remaining 25 percent (7.5 on average) continued for the year, then, half of those (average 3.75) drop off after a year (remember, this cycle starts with each new month’s patients and builds month after month). The profit in this scenario exceeds $56,000 in a two-year period.
From the above information it is easy to see why our practice, the Clayton Eye Center in Morrow, Ga., benefited immensely from incorporating nutraceuticals for eye health into our practice, as did our patients.
Kirk Smick, OD, FAAO, is a consultant for Clayton Eye Center, the practice he founded, in Morrow, Ga. To contact him: claytoneye@aol.com
References
1. https://www.skyquest.com…Pharmaceuticals
2. https://www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2714854/#:~:text=The%20prevalence%20of%20regular%20dietary.the%20past%20month%20%5B1%5D.
