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Hello and sorry for being so long in posting a summary. I called Bausch & Lomb again today to double-check on whether or not Occuvite/Preservision contain gluten in the ingredients formula or, is it that they don't really know for sure, so they say Occuvite is not g-f. At first, the woman told me that the vitamins do contain a small amount of gluten. However, when I asked her which ingredient was the problem, she put me on hold. When she returned, she told me that the formula does not contain gluten, but they cannot guarantee the product to be gluten-free due to possible unknown cross-contamination where they are manufactured. My mom is thinking that, in that case - her troubles are not likely to be from the Occuvite vitamins afterall. However, to be safe, she is switching to a gluten-free product. We will also consider the possible stomach upset potential of zinc.
Here are the responses that I received - THANKS very much to all who responded!
One person suggested 4 sight by Ortho Molecular Products:
" I WENT TO MY HEALTH FOOD STORE AND THEY SUGGESTED A PRODUCT CALLED
4 SIGHT BY ORTHO MOLECULAR PRODUCTS. IT IS GLUTEN, EGG, DAIRY, PEANUTS,
SOY,YEAST AND ARTIFICIAL COLORS AND FLAVORS FREE.
MY EYES HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER SINCE I STARTED TAKING IT."
I am puzzled by this because when I called Ortho Molecular Products, they told me they only give information and sell to doctors?????
Another suggestion:
Alcon markets a product called I-Caps AREDS Formula whose vitamin/mineral
content is comparable to B & L's Ocuvite Preservision. If you go to
www.alcon.com and snoop around you can find out more about this product. I
haven't had a chance to contact either company regarding the GL status of
their mac. degen. supplements, so I can't comment on that one way or the
other. However, here are two points to consider that relate to GI upset:
1) I-Caps is marketed as lactose-free; I think Ocuvite has lactose added.
Perhaps your mom's heartburn was instead a lactose issue?
2) Both Preservision and I-Caps AREDS formula contain zinc. I know that I
get a stomach ache from zinc supplements, so your mom may also react. Most
of the eye health-targeted vitamin products I've ever seen contain zinc, so
switching from one brand to another may not solve the heartburn issue. If
eliminating the gluten and lactose doesn't solve her symptoms, she may wish
to go the route of buying one or more regular antioxidant/lutein supplements
without zinc and combining them as necessary to meet the target antioxidant
vitamin and lutein intake levels set by her doctor.
NOTE: I called today and Alcon told me that I-caps are gluten-free.
Here is the last suggestion:
"My eye doctor also recommended Occuvite by Bausch & Lomb for my case of
macular degeneration. When I read the label, I swooned over the
preservatives and food dyes to which I am sensitive. I went to Whole Foods
and found OcuGuard which has no food dyes nor preservatives. I went back
to the drug store to compare the ingredients to those of Bausch & Lomb, and
they are very similiar, almost the same.... I have been using OcuGuard
for over one year with no side effects other than reducing the blurriness
in my eyes, probably due to cataracts. And I'm hopeful that it has put the
mac. deg. into remission. For a while I added zinc to it, and it seemed to
help more, however I stopped this zinc supplementation as I didn't want to
overdo it. When I don't take OcuGuard for a few days, the blurriness
returned. I resumed it, and there was improvement in visioin
clarity... so I know it works for me... One can also purchase OcuGuard from health food stores."
Note: I called TwinLabs today - the maker of OcuGuard - and they told me the product is free of wheat, oats, barley and rye but there are trace amounts of corn.
Thanks again to the helpful suggestions and good luck to all!
Sincerely,
Kathy
*Please provide references to back up claims of a product being GF or not GF*
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