Dry eye patients looking to augment their current efforts at alleviating the condition should have a new oral OTC therapy to consider early this fall, according to a Bausch + Lomb press release. The product, to be called Blink NutriTears, is a combination of lutein/zeaxanthin, curcumin and vitamin D3, shortened to ‘LCD’ in company literature.

The carotenoids were included for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties rather than their effects on macular pigment deposition. Curcumin is a polyphenol extracted from turmeric known to inhibit pro-inflammatory mediators. Vitamin D can improve tear secretion and quality, and also possesses anti-inflammatory effects.

The B+L press release touts a study the company conducted wherein 77 subjects used the LCD formulation daily for eight weeks. Full datasets were not released, but the published study includes charts showing an increase in tear volume by Schirmer’s score, improvements in ocular surface staining and reductions in measurements of tear osmolarity and MMP-9 concentration. Subjective patient experiences measured using the SPEED and OSDI questionnaires also showed an improvement, the company says.

The above charts show some of the findings released by B+L in a study published earlier this week in Frontiers in Ophthalmology. Click image to enlarge.

Gioia N, et al. A novel multi-ingredient supplement significantly improves ocular symptoms severity and tear production in patients with dry eye disease: results from a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Front. Ophthalmol. April 24, 2024.