Objective: To assess the effect of the ProVens® dietary supplement administration on intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma and ocular hypertension.
Material and methods: The patients included in the trial were given the ProVens® dietary supplement once daily. One ProVens® tablet contains: 50 mg of maritime pine bark extract, 100 mg of green tea extract, and 3 mg of blueberry extract. The main ProVens® components are proanthocyanins from the bark of the maritime pine tree Pinus pinaster, polyphenols from green tea, and anthocyanins from blueberries. The total number of patients included in the trial was 46. Out of these, 35 patients were monitored for asymptomatic ocular hypertension and 11 patients for open-angle glaucoma treated with prostaglandin analogs. Intraocular pressure was measured by applanation tonometry in the beginning of the trial, after one month, and after three months of their inclusion in the trial, always at the same time of the day.
Results: In the group of patients with ocular hypertension, there was a statistically significant reduction in the intraocular pressure from the baseline values of 24.2 ± 2.1 mm Hg to 20.9 ± 2.5 mm Hg within the period of three months (p < 0.0001). In the group of patients with open-angle glaucoma, there was a statistically significant reduction of the intraocular pressure from the baseline values of 18.4 ± 3.2 mm Hg to 17.0 ± 3.1 mm Hg within the period of three months since the beginning of administration of the product (p = 0.022). When comparing both groups, we observed a significantly higher reduction in intraocular pressure (p = 0.0001) in the group of patients with ocular hypertension. In the whole group, no adverse effects were reported during the intake of this dietary supplement.
Conclusion: Intake of the ProVens® dietary supplement containing proanthocyanins from the bark of the maritime pine tree Pinus pinaster together with a mixture of herbal antioxidants appears to be one of the methods of how to improve the control of intraocular pressure, particularly in patients with ocular hypertension.
Key words: glaucoma, ocular hypertension, ProVens®, proanthocyanins, antioxidants, maritime pine bark extract.