It is essential to 'monitor and validate claims made by industry regarding the quality and efficacy of nutritional supplements' stated the president of the newly established Ocular Nutrition Society (ONS) at this year's American Academy of Optometry meeting in San Francisco.
Dr Jeffrey Anshel, one of the founding directors of the newly named ONS, formed as an expansion of the original Optometric Nutrition Society, spoke at a joint symposium looking at ocular nutrition.
The meeting was told that, as many nutritional supplementation products have proven medical impact, it is essential for eye care practitioners to keep abreast of the latest research to ensure the advice they offer patients is accurate.
Any statement or claim from a vested interest needs to be validated. Possible interactions must also be borne in mind.
At the same meeting, Dr Hal Bohlman of Tennessee said: 'You also must know when a particular illness or disease process would contraindicate prescribing certain vitamins or when high doses of certain supplements will commonly cause adverse reactions.'
Dr Bohlman went on to explain how patients on statins should not be offered high doses of vitamin B3 and patients using anti-coagulents should not be offered omega-3 supplements.