The NP-10 System™: Rethinking Optic Nerve Support Through Proactive Care

You've just been told your optic nerve is 'under stress' from eye pressure. The word lands quietly, but heavily. You're handed a prescription for eye drops to reduce eye pressure and told to come back in six months.

It's a familiar scene — and for many, it feels like the beginning of a slow yet inevitable decline in vision.

But what if that moment could mark the start of something more proactive?

Glaucoma is often described as the "silent thief of sight." It's a chronic, progressive condition that affects over 80 million people worldwide. Lowering eye pressure remains the cornerstone of medical management, but it does not fully explain why some people still experience change over time. In fact, research shows that up to 30% of those with glaucoma continue to decline despite textbook-perfect pressure control.

As an eye care professional, I've seen this firsthand. It's led me to ask a deeper question: what else is driving this condition?

The answer lies in the optic nerve, and more specifically, in the health of the retinal ganglion cells that make up that nerve. Their key role is to transmit visual information (what you see) from the eye for processing (how you perceive what you see) by the brain. 

The retinal ganglion cells and optic nerve use a lot of energy, and this makes them highly vulnerable to stress and damage. So while eye pressure is a key risk factor, glaucoma isn't only a pressure problem. It's a neurodegenerative condition. And like other conditions that affect the nervous system, it's shaped by a complex web of biological factors.

That understanding became the foundation for a broader philosophy of proactive care which encompasses a vision-system support framework I spent over two years developing: the NP-10 System™.

The Story Behind NP-10

The NP-10 System™ wasn't developed in a lab or boardroom. It began as a deeply personal project.

My father was diagnosed with normal tension glaucoma, where there is ongoing stress on the optic nerve even when eye pressure is within normal limits. It's notoriously difficult to manage, and it raises important questions about what else drives optic nerve damage.

Faced with this challenge, I began researching the broader biology of our vision system: mitochondrial health, vascular integrity, oxidative stress, and more. What emerged was a systems-based model that looked beyond pressure and toward supporting the resilience of the optic nerve and visual pathways.

That model became NP-10.

So what started as a mission to help my father has since evolved into a framework that goes beyond eye drops and features optic‑nerve and visual‑system support as a key pillar of holistic eye care alongside conventional treatments.

The NP-10 System™: A Vision Support Framework

The NP-10 (Neuroprotection 10) System™ is a peer-reviewed, published evidence-based framework that identifies and targets the ten key biocellular pathways and mechanisms that are thought to contribute to stress on the optic nerve. These are grouped into four core areas:

Core Area #1. Pressure & Stress

• Eye Pressure: Still the main risk factor, but not the only one.
• Psychological Stress: Chronic stress can increase eye pressure and may affect optic nerve health through vascular and inflammatory mechanisms.

Core Area #2. Cellular Health

• Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Impairs energy production in retinal ganglion cells.
• Glucose Metabolism Disturbances: Can lead to glycation and oxidative damage.
• Oxidative Stress: Damages DNA, proteins, and lipids in optic nerve cells.
• Chronic Inflammation: Sustained immune activation harms neural tissues.

Core Area #3. Vascular Integrity

• Vascular Dysregulation: Reduced blood flow contributes to optic nerve stress.
• Elevated Homocysteine & Endothelial Dysfunction: Linked to vascular stiffness and reduced perfusion.

Core Area #4. Functional Support

• Nerve Transmission Disruption: Affects the eye-brain communication.
• Macular Pigment Deficiency: Reduces antioxidant support for the macula.

Each pathway represents a potential point of intervention; not as a replacement for medical therapy, but as an area where lifestyle, nutrition, and supportive strategies can be layered on top of standard care.

One of the most accessible and effective ways to address these pathways is through nutrition. Certain nutrients — including botanical antioxidants such as saffron, ginkgo biloba and bilberry, B vitamins including methylcobalamin (B12) and methylfolate, and mitochondrial cofactors like nicotinamide (B3) — have shown promise in supporting retinal ganglion cell and optic nerve health in clinical studies.

While research is ongoing, the rationale is clear: if we can help protect against free radical damage, support mitochondrial function, assist vascular integrity and support optic nerve resilience, alongside eye pressure management, then this may offer a more comprehensive approach to maintaining long‑term vision.

When these vision‑system‑support nutrients are used together, they collectively map to the ten biocellular pathways of the NP‑10 System™. This helps ensure there are fewer gaps in the eye’s support network in the context of optic nerve stress from eye pressure.

Case Example

Protocols like Nutravision are designed with this in mind. It's a nutritional supplement built upon the NP-10 System™, combining 10 key vision-system-supporting nutrients to address all 4 core areas of described above. In a small, exploratory pilot observation study, we found that in those with consistently well-controlled eye pressures at 15 mmHg or less, a proportion showed improvement in their visual field test parameters after taking Nutravision for an average 5.7 months*.

In the case example above, a 67‑year‑old female (who already had cataract surgery and stent implantation previously) showed improvement in some measures of visual sensitivity (red circle) over a 6‑month period while taking Nutravision as part of her overall management plan.

But Nutravision or NP‑10 is not a standalone solution. It's part of a broader philosophy that encourages people to take a proactive role in their eye care, understand the biology of their condition, and explore evidence‑informed ways to support their vision system alongside prescribed treatment.

(*Note: The clinical data and case example shown in this blog post come from a small, uncontrolled pilot and do not constitute randomised clinical trial evidence or treatment recommendations. Individual responses to supplements vary and you should always consult with your healthcare professional first before use. Supplements must not replace your existing prescribed treatments.)

What You Can Do

For those managing eye pressure, the NP‑10 System™ offers a comprehensive roadmap for thinking about optic nerve and vision‑system support. It's not a replacement for conventional treatment, but a complement to it. Here are a few practical steps that you can consider:

• Talk to your eye care professional about whether nutritional support is appropriate for you.
• Move regularly — even light aerobic activity can support ocular circulation.
• Manage stress through mindfulness, therapy, or breathing techniques.
• Prioritise sleep — aim for consistency and deep rest.
• Explore targeted nutrition — ideally under the guidance of a clinician familiar with optic nerve support.

Looking Ahead

The way we care for stressed optic nerves is evolving. We're moving beyond a single metric — eye pressure — and toward a systems‑based understanding of optic nerve health. The NP‑10 System™ and Nutravision are part of that evolution, as part of a proactive care philosophy that integrates medical treatment with lifestyle and nutritional support.

This isn't a trend. It's a shift in mindset. A way of thinking differently about a condition that affects millions, and a way of giving people more agency in how they manage optic nerve stress and eye pressure in partnership with their eye care professionals.

Ultimately, it's about the health of the optic nerve. And the optic nerve deserves more than pressure control; it deserves consideration of the multiple biological pathways that influence its long‑term resilience.