Right Nutrition and Avoiding Triggers Helps Combat Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry Eye Affects Millions of Americans

If you experience scratchy, red, burning, irritated, even excessively teary eyes, you may be suffering from dry eye, one of the most frequent problems seen by eye care practitioners. While the condition is more common among older women and men, and those with the autoimmune diseases rheumatoid arthritis or Sjögren's, it can impact healthy people of all ages: particularly those who wear contact lenses, have ocular surface inflammation from allergies, undergo LASIK corrective surgery, live in dry climates or spend long hours in front of the computer screen.

There are a number of practical steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting dry eye, or to help relieve symptoms if you already suffer dry eye discomfort.

The Role of Diet and Supplementation

There are now topical drugs available to fight the inflammation of dry eye, ocular procedures to help retain tears and ointments or drops that provide temporary relief. However, diet and supplementation can also make a difference. Supplementation with the fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) has been reported to reduce symptoms, dampen inflammation and increase tear production in clinical studies of people with dry eye (1,2). Inflammation is an important factor in dry eye, and GLA can help the body build its own anti-inflammatory compounds. It can also support the oily outer layer of the tear film which helps prevent tear fluid from drying out.

Regular intake of fatty fish such as tuna and salmon has been linked with a lower risk of developing dry eye in older women (3). Eating ample amounts of fruits and vegetables is also a good strategy, as the antioxidants they contain can help fight the free radicals, which accompany inflammation. Vitamin C from citrus or bell peppers, for instance, is a key antioxidant in eye tissue.

Avoiding Environmental Triggers

A number of factors can worsen dry eye or even trigger the condition. If you smoke take steps to stop,
since both smoking and exposure to second hand smoke can be very eye-irritating. Avoid conditions that promote eye dryness such as very warm or overly air-conditioned rooms. Using a humidifier to keep the air moist can also be very helpful.

Having dry eye can affect the vision we need for daily activities like driving or reading. But new research from Ohio State University College of Optometry has shown that long periods at the computer or reading can also bring on dry eye or worsen its irritating symptoms (4).

Squinting Squelches the Blink Reflex

Squinting, a common practice among computer users or those trying to bring type into better focus, causes people to blink less often. Tears naturally evaporate when the eyes are open, and blinking is necessary to spread new tears produced by the tear glands. The Ohio State investigators hooked small electrodes to the lower lids of volunteers to measure the activity a muscle involved in both squinting and blinking.

When the volunteers squinted, they blinked half as often. They also reported more dryness and tearing. Earlier work by the same team found that people blinked 22 times per minute when relaxed, 10 times while reading a book, and 7 times when viewing text on a computer screen. Computer users can reduce the harmful effects on their eyes, by alleviating glare and the conditions that cause them to squint more often, according to the study's authors.

Minimizing Risks of Visual Discomfort

The Mayo Clinic offers these solutions to common risk factors that cause squinting and eye discomfort:

• Prolonged monitor viewing. Take frequent visual breaks (look at an object 20 feet away for a few seconds), and close your eyes periodically. Keep computer screen clean, and font size big enough.
  
  
• Glare from windows or lights. Position your monitor perpendicular to light sources and block window light with blinds. Use a glare screen on your display monitor, or tilt the screen to cut glare. Reduce overhead lighting and use "task" lighting.

References

1. Barbarino S et al. Cornea 22:97-101, 2003.
2. Macri A et al. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol (online, 2003).
3. Miljanovic B et al. Am J Clin Nutr.82:887-93, 2005.
4. Sheedy JE et al. Optom Vis Sci.82:905-11, 2005.