Stiltec's Greg Hepple introducing Vitrocap N to ophthalmologists at RANZCO NZ

New to New Zealand and Australia, Vitrocap N is a nutritional supplement that’s been specially formulated for eye floaters. Backed by scientific research, the product was unveiled to Australian optometry at the O-Show in Sydney and the New Zealand ophthalmology community at the RANZCO NZ meeting in Auckland.

Vitreous floaters can be quite a debilitating condition for some people, affecting their vision and their quality of life, said Greg Hepple, director of Stiltec Global, which is manufacturing and distributing the product in Australasia. “So this is absolutely an exciting development in supporting the vitreous health of patients.”

The first non-surgical, non-invasive treatment for eye floaters, Vitrocap N contains five nutrients: L-lysine amino acid, ascorbic acid (vit C), hesperidin (derived from citrus fruit extract), proanthocyanidins (derived from grapeseed extract) and zinc, and has been studied in five clinical trials. The most recent, the Flies study (Ankamah et al, 2021), was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 61 patients (aged 18-79 years, with a mean age of 57.4 years) suffering from vitreous floaters. Evaluated by questionnaire and clinical measures, the study found significant improvements in visual comfort, opacity and contrast sensitivity after patients took one capsule a day for six months (see graphs below). “Notably, a large percentage of patients (77%) on the active supplement demonstrated a reduction in vitreous floaters and associated improvements in vision-related quality of life was seen in 67% of patients,” reported principal investigator Professor John Nolan, founder and director of the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland. Lead researcher Dr Emmanuel Ankamah said the study provides evidence supporting the use of a targeted nutritional intervention as a management strategy for vitreous floaters. “This gives us more confidence that using antioxidative and antiglycation micronutrients can improve vitreous health.”

Ten years in development, Vitrocap N is already used by many ophthalmologists and optometrists in the UK and Europe to help their patients, said Hepple.