The ONS is proud to introduce our new Industry Advisory Panel. This group is made up of individuals who are associated with our corporate supporters. They have years of experience in the nutritional field and are a great resource when it comes to reviewing nutritional products and supplements for our members to consider. Please feel free to ask them any questions you may have (via our Forum) regarding their products and how they affect eye health.

Neil Donnenfeld 

Advanced Vision Research
12 Alfred St., Suite 200
Woburn, MA 01801
800-979-8327
www.theratears.com

Mr. Donnenfeld is the Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing for Advanced Vision Research.  AVR markets eight branded products, including two nutritional supplements, TheraTears Nutrition and MacuTrition.  The product line is available nationwide at most major food, drug and mass merchandisers.  Mr. Donnenfeld attended Dartmouth College, and  received his MBA from The Wharton School He worked alongside Dr. Jeffrey P. Gilbard for 12 years.

Barrie Tan, PhD

American River Nutrition, Inc.
31 Campus Plaza Rd.
Hadley, MA 01035
413-253-3449
www.americanrivernutrition.com

Dr. Tan is a former professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (Chemistry and Food Science/Nutrition).  His research expertise includes lipid-soluble materials including carotenoids, tocotrienols/tocopherols, CoQ10, Omega 3s, and cholesterol.  He founded American River Nutrition, Inc. in 1998 and developed the first tocopherol-free tocotrienol product derived from annatto beans.

Ellen Troyer, MT, MA

Biosyntrx, Inc.
R & D Office: 4740 Farthing Drive
Colorado Springs, CO. 80906
719-227-7888
www.biosyntrx.com

Ms. Troyer is the co-owner and CEO of Biosyntrx, Inc. She is well-respected in the supplement industry as an educator, a formulation designer and company owner involved with all aspects of manufacturing in order to guarantee that FDA and FTC regulatory requirements are followed.  She is a voting member of the Washington, D.C.-based Council for Responsible Nutrition and a member of The Natural Products Association.  Ms. Troyer’s passion for nutrition science education, as it relates to the supplement industry, is contagious and her dedication to the eye care profession insures that the ONS collective industry voices will be heard by the ophthalmic profession.

Jeff Northup, CEO

EyeScience Labs, Inc. 
614-262-5115
4400 N. High Street, Suite 201
Columbus, OH 43214
http://eyescience.com/

Mr. Northup is Founder and President/CEO for EyeScience Labs.  EyeScience develops and markets science-based nutraceutical products for ocular health.  Their products are available nationwide through retail pharmacies  as well as the offices of recommending optometrists and ophthalmologists. Mr. Northup  attended and received a Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio State University. 

Michael P. Lange O.D., CNS

Fortifeye Eye Vitamins
3101 SW College Rd.
Ocala FL 34474
866-503-9746
www.fortifeye.com

Dr. Lange is the founder and CEO of Fortifeye Vitamins, as well as being a Certified Nutrition Specialist. He is involved in clinical nutritional research analyzing the bioavailability of specific nutrients and how it relates to eye care. He advocates and promotes proper nutrition and wellness on a daily basis. He founded Lange Eye Care and Associates in 1993 and has expanded his eye care centers to nine locations and three Lasik centers.

Hunter Towns

Marco
11825 Central Parkway
Jacksonville, FL  32244
904-642-9330
www.marco.com

Mr. Towns is Retinal Products Manager at Marco. He has served in sales and marketing capacities in the ophthalmic industry for over 10 years, with prior duties with Medtronic and Reichert Ophthalmics. Part of his current product portfolio includes an ocular supplement and a device to assess macular protective pigment density. He holds a B. A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dennis Gierhart, PhD

ZeaVision
424 S. Woods Mill Rd, Suite 330
St Louis, MO 63017
314-628-1000
www.zeavision.com

Dr. Gierhart is co-founder and chairman of ZeaVision, LLC. Dr. Gierhart was also the founder of AFB International, where much of the early zeaxanthin technology was developed. Dr. Gierhart
received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1978, where he first became interested in nutritional biochemistry. He was the first human to take zeaxanthin formulations and sponsored early research on basic mechanisms of ocular protection by zeaxanthin. He remains active in the area of macular pigment and helped launch a simple device to measure macular pigment optical density (MPOD) in the Optometric clinic.