Considering high-tech stressors and recent research on natural vision health, retailers may find a broader demographic seeking eye-protecting nutrients.
Eyesight is easy to take for granted. A multitude of factors can impact our eyes every day: driving, reading, computer use, even exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays may greatly affect ocular health. And, of course, aging doesn’t do eyesight any favors.
But plenty of adults are concerned about protecting their vision. Cooper Concepts in Texas, a supplement provider and entity of Cooper Aerobics, said that vision health has been a concern for many years, according to President Jill Turner.
“Cooper Complete supplements were initially developed to support the patients who come to Cooper Clinic annually for a preventive health exam,” she explained. “The Cooper Center Longitudinal Study (CCLS) is a database of more than 250,000 records from almost 100,000 individuals representing more than 1.8 million person-years of observation. Through physician interviews with these patients, we knew that eye health is a major issue for adults—whether it’s concerns about age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in seniors; dry eyes; or night vision and glare recovery.”
Focusing on Vision Health
Prior to the Cooper Complete launch in the late 1998, the physicians at Cooper Clinic gave patients a ‘prescription pad’ with a list of the vitamins, minerals, supplements and herbs that were recommended, Turner added. “Patients found the pad helpful, but cumbersome, as it put the burden on them to locate each ingredient and cobble together the amounts recommended. The process, as you might imagine, also meant that the patient inevitably ended up taking a lot of pills,” she said. “When we introduced our first multivitamin, it was eight-tablets (daily), in the ingredient form and level that were initially recommended on the prescription pad. This [early] product included several key ingredients known to support optimal eye health.”
In 2004, when the company introduced Basic One, a one-tablet-a-day multivitamin, it also introduced its first standalone eye product, Cooper Complete MVP (maximum vision and performance). Now, the company has several products in its line to support optimal eye health, Turner said.
Passionate about prevention, Dennis Gierhart, PhD, founded Missouri-based ZeaVision in 2001. With more than 20 years of research, he pioneered the use of zeaxanthin for eye health use, and now ZeaVision is considered one of the leading companies in ocular nutrition, according to Bob Kearns, vice president of consumer sales and marketing.
The EyePromise brand was introduced in 2006 as a line of premium science-based nutraceuticals made from the finest ingredients and to exacting standards, Kearns said. “Over the years, the portfolio has grown to include a wide range of supplement formulas designed to protect and preserve healthy vision, and improve eye health. The products are doctor recommended with hundreds of endorsing optometrists. To date, more than 40 million doses of EyePromise brand products have been safely consumed, and it has become the brand of choice for optometrists and professional athletes alike.”
The Market
There is strong demand both in the practitioner and consumer markets for supplements that protect and preserve healthy vision, Kearns said, noting that there is a growing interest overall in how we can stay healthy as we get older. “Vision is a big part of that. As people better understand the role nutrition plays in improving vision quality (that is, issues related to glare, light sensitivity and dry eye to name a few), we think there will be continuing demand for vision-specific supplements.”
The market for vision-specific health supplements is good, agreed Turner. “Vision supplements have long appealed to older adults, and the number of aging Americans continues to increase. There are also now ingredients, with science to support them, for products like Cooper Complete MVP that appeal to a younger consumer. For virtually all sports, great hand-eye (or in the case of soccer players foot-eye), coordination starts with great vision, and there are supplements to support the goal of improved coordination, and lightning fast and accurate reaction time.”
Turner noted a 2012 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that showed lutein and zeaxanthin shorten photo stress recovery times, enhance chromatic contrast and increase the distance one can see clearly. “In addition, it appears that these important nutrients might also increase temporal processing speeds. For example, an athlete with a higher macular pigment (MP) concentration would have faster temporal vision, allowing for more ‘snapshots’ to be taken in a fixed amount of time.”
New York-based American Health also expressed that vision is a top-ofmind health concern for consumers today, and developed a product that could make it easier for customers to better manage their vision concerns while supporting whole body health in one convenient complex, said Dorie Greenblatt, director of sales and marketing. The company’s More Than A Multiple (MTAM) with Vision Essentials (part of a four-SKU product launch of Essentials including Brain Essentials, Energy Essentials and Cardio Essentials under the company’s More Than A Multiple multivitamin franchise) was developed to deliver advanced benefits for eye health while offering the nutritional support of a high-performing whole food multivitamin, she noted.
“Our new MTAM with Vision Essentials go the next level, continuing to fuel the body with whole food concentrates and expanding supplementation with natural complexes that target vision,” said Greenblatt.
Impacting the Market
National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Eye Institute has recently substantiated supplementing for eye health. “Findings from the AREDS2 (age-related eye disease study 2), study, released in May 2103, have brought to the forefront the fact zeaxanthin and lutein are critical for eye health—they support a healthy macular pigment, which is what serves as your internal sunglasses to protect the back of your eye,” said ZeaVision’s Kearns. “That is great news for consumers because they can take steps to shift their diet to include more foods rich in these important nutrients. However, it is difficult to get enough zeaxanthin in our daily diet, so that’s where the right supplements come into play. Our formulas contain the highest levels—the 2:1 zeaxanthinto- lutein ratio found naturally in the macula of the eye.”
In fact, the AREDS2 study has brought customers to Green Acres Health Foods in Piscataway, NJ. Manager Theo Kitschker said while bilberry and lutein have traditionally been the go-to ingredients for eye health, zeaxanthin is definitely the “next big thing— people are asking for it,” he said.
“Our company, ZeaVision, and our brand, EyePromise, are strongly grounded in scientific research. We will continue to explore the relationship between nutrition and how it helps mitigate disease and enhance vision quality,” Kearns added, noting that the company is especially excited about emerging research quantifying the relationship between vision and reaction time, and how that can be improved through supplementation. “What’s been shown is that improvements in vision can lead to an increase in visual processing speed and, in turn, reaction time. We know that this is particularly important to people like athletes, for whom visual processing speed is critical to their performance, so we’ve been working closely with trainers, coaches, pro baseball players and other athletes. It’s an exciting area.”
Turner pointed out that consumers continue to educate themselves about the potential positive impact supplementation can make on their overall health. “Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the founder of Cooper Clinic and father of aerobics, has been preaching for years that ‘your health is your responsibility.’ Health care reform has more people thinking about their health, and their personal responsibility in maintaining it,” she said. “While supplements aren’t a ‘cure’ or replacement of prescriptions for all kinds of serious conditions, supplements are absolutely a viable option for health conditions that haven’t progressed too far to the disease state.”
Broader Appeal
For those who view health as a priority, supplements are one of many facets that go into caring for themselves. Supplements also appeal to individuals who want to address a medical concern more holistically. “Ironically, our supplement line was founded by a physician,” said Turner, “and individuals who hate going to the doctor are also often very open to supplementation.”
Kearns said ZeaVision targets men and women in their 30s. “We know millions suffer every day from a gradual loss of vision quality, and most begin to experience changes in their eyesight [at that age]. EyePromise products are designed to improve and preserve healthy vision for anyone who has a desire to see more clearly, reduce light sensitivity or alleviate dry eye symptoms.
“We believe the consumer group is growing, in part because the population is aging and dealing with agerelated eye issues,” he added, “but also because people at younger ages are recognizing the importance of taking early measures to protect and improve vision quality.”
Retailer Kitschker agreed, and noted that while a middle age to elderly clientele led the category, he’s now seeing 30-year-olds asking about products that help fight eye fatigue, especially from computer strain.
In general, there is a continually growing interest in achieving wellness through healthy lifestyle choices, Kearns added. “Specific to eye health, there is—in addition to an interest in preventing diseases—an interest in living life to the fullest, and vision quality plays a huge role in this,” he said. “This includes everyday activities such as driving at night, finding your way more easily in a dimly lit theater, being able to read the golf green better through improved contrast, or working on favorite hobbies.”
In addition, more people are experiencing problems related to dry eye and digital eye strain, in part due to how much we rely on our electronic devices, Kearns noted. “There is much more attention being given to how to avoid and treat these issues, and this will benefit the eye health market overall.”
A Close Look at Products
As we age, our eyes may lose valuable nutrients, such as lutein and zinc, needed for optimum eyesight, American Health’s Greenblatt noted. To that end, the company’s MTAM with Vision Essentials delivers many of the highperforming nutrients customers need to support eye health, including lutein, zinc and vitamin A. She explained that lutein, a vital carotenoid, helps filter out high energy blue-light from both natural and artificial sources, which can contribute to oxidative stress and free-radical damage to the eyes. Meanwhile, zinc converts vitamin A into retinal, which the body uses to form rhodopsin, a protein in the retina that is responsible for helping eyes adapt to color, visual images and darkness, particularly important for night vision. In addition, MTAM with Vision Essentials includes vital antioxidants such as vitamin C and beta-carotene, which may help fight the damaging effects of free radicals.
“MTAM with Vision Essentials affords customers the convenience, as well as the ability to increase their nutritional supplementation without adding to, for what can be for many people, a lot more pills, or pill fatigue. The product makes not only good nutritional sense, but is available at an affordable price point (MSRP $29.39),” Greenblatt said.
Mark Stayton, sales manager and supplement buyer at Martindale’s Natural Market, in Springfield, PA, which was established in 1869, said the store is doing well with MTAM with Vision Essentials. “It’s especially good for customers who take vision health supplements as well as a multi, as it allows them to buy only one product.” However, customers often have to be directed to the product, explaining that it has been merchandised in the vision section, as well as in its current location in the multivitamin section.
ZeaVision’s newest product launching this spring is EyePromise vizual EDGE—an easy, one-a-day formula that combines the optimal 2:1 combination of zeaxanthin to lutein to help people preserve and improve their vision quality. “It contains the highest levels of dietary zeaxanthin on the market, is NSF-certified to ensure safety and integrity, and is scientifically proven to reduce glare often associated with night driving, increase contrast, enhance color saturation, improve light sensitivity and improve responsiveness to changes in levels of light,” he said.
“We’ve already heard from consumers who have experienced the difference— what we’re calling their ‘EyePromise moment’—and are excited to be expanding our reach so that more consumers can experience the benefits in their everyday lives,” Kearns added, pointing out that while people should strive to maintain a diet rich in omega- 3s, zeaxanthin and lutein, supplementation can be significant. “Nutrition plays a big role in eye health, yet most people don’t eat enough of the foods rich in the ingredients their eyes really need, which is nutritional supplements are key.”
Specific to dry eye, which is extremely common, consumers often go to drops first, which only treats the symptoms temporarily. Taking the right supplements that treat the problem from the inside out by improving the quantity and quality of one’s own tears is more effective, Kearns noted. “EyePromise EZTears is a very successful product in our portfolio because it has been proven to quickly and effectively help people who suffer from dry eye (and in just a few weeks for many).”
At Cooper Concept, Turner said the newest vision product, Cooper Complete MVP is scientifically formulated to deliver key nutrients proven to enhance vision and athletic performance.
“In science, the term ‘therapeutic window’ refers to the proper dose that will safely produce the greatest benefit. Too little of a particular nutrient won’t have any impact at all, and too much can be a waste or potentially cause harm,” she said. “A key point of differentiation for all Cooper Complete products is that each ingredient in each product is at a level that is in this therapeutic window of effectiveness.”
Turner described the product as containing:
• Flora-GLO Lutein (10 mg) & Zeaxanthin (2 mg). Powerful carotenoids that, when taken in the proper dosage, will improve MP, which reduces glare discomfort and disability, shortens photo stress recovery times, enhances chromatic contrast and increases visual range (how far one can see in the distance).
• Omega-3 (500 mg EPA + 500 mg DHA). Increasing the levels of longchain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA+DHA) in the cells not only improves overall health, immunity and vision, but supplementation has also been reported to aid in management of heart rate, breathing, muscle contraction, inflammation and the utilization of oxygen.
• Vitamin D-3 (2000 IU). Besides improving immunity and bone density, the scientific literature indicates vitamin D may also aid in muscle strength, balance, endurance, reaction time and potentially vertical jump.1 Skeletal muscle has two separate vitamin D receptors so maintaining appropriate levels is critical for optimal health and performance.
Marketing Collateral
As for sales support, Cooper Complete provides phone consults, flyers and a money-back guarantee on the product to customers.
American Health offers a comprehensive training program on MTAM with Vision Essentials as part of its education program. The company has informative trade and eye-catching consumer collateral, samples, posters, end-cap headers and shelf signage, according to Greenblatt. It also offers electronic banners for in-store and website promotional opportunities. Further, American Health plans to invest heavily in print media across multiple national consumer health magazines throughout 2014.
Kearns listed several ways ZeaVision supports success at retail. “We are providing collateral materials that provide detailed information about our history, products and how our supplements are all natural, made in the U.S. and have gone through stringent testing and certifications,” he said. “We are educating retailers about vision health and what their customers care about, so they can provide the best advice.”
Information includes: advising shoppers to visit their eye health professional at least annually; understanding the role of nutrition in eye health; understanding what the common eye issues are and what supplements can (and can’t) do for customers. “For example, some customers may avoid driving at night because of ‘halos’ and others may have stopped wearing contact lenses due to dry eye. Asking the right questions will ensure they are making the right recommendations,” he explained.
ZeaVision also provides an extensive database of educational webinars on a variety of eye-related topics, which Kearns said is very unique and something he thinks retail customers will find very helpful. “Through a marketing communications program, we are educating consumers about the role supplements have in improving vision quality and are encouraging them to share their ‘EyePromise Moment’ with us on our newly-designed website.”
