Like most eye conditions, Dry Eye Syndrome is often related to health conditions in the rest of the body. It is commonly associated with dryness of other mucous membranes, interior body surfaces such as joints and brittle nails.

Date:   2/13/2008 5:56:40 PM ( 16 y ago)

Dry Eyes

Myths:

Dry eyes is just a condition of eyes.

Facts:

The eyes often reflect a larger problem that needs to be treated systemically. Certain nutrients such as vitamins A, C, D, E, & B6, Magnesium, GLA & DHA, Mucopolysaccharides & Tumeric may help ease chronic and severe dry eyes.

Overview:

Dry eyes, often referred to as Dry Eye Syndrome, is the most frequent patient complaint to eye doctors. About 33 million Americans in all groups experience varying degrees of dry eye syndromes. Like most eye conditions, Dry Eye Syndrome is often related to health conditions in the rest of the body. It is commonly associated with dryness of other mucous membranes, interior body surfaces such as joints and brittle nails. It can also be a sign of digestive imbalances or of more serious systemic autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogrens syndrome or lupus erthematosus.

The proper production of tears basically takes place at three layers:

    * The Mucus Layer - is the closest layer to the corneal epithelium. It is produced by the conjunctival goblet cells, and is absorbed by the corneal surface glycoproteins, creating a hydrophilic corneal surface.
    * The Aqueous Layer - is between the Mucous and Lipid Layers, and comprises 90% of the tear film's thickness. It is secreted by the lacrimal gland and incorporates all water-soluble components of the tear film (slightly alkaline at pH of 7.4).
    * The Lipid Layer - is the most superficial layer. It is produced by the Meibomiam glands with minor contribution from glands of Zeis and Moll. The secretion is a sebaceous material which is fluid at body temperature, and retards evaporation of the acqueous layer and lowers surface tension thereby allowing tear-film to mold itself to the eye's surface.
    * The Blink renews the tear film by delivering aqueous and lipid to tear film and sweeping away debris. The normal blink interval is every 5 seconds. Tear film is typically stable for about 10 seconds.

Symptoms:

The typical symptoms include dryness, grittiness, irritation, difficulty reading for long periods of time, burning and even the seeming contradiction of excessive tearing or watering.

Causes:

    * Any disruption in the tear production process as desribed in the Overview.
    * Blepharitis can often cause dry eye symptoms due to inflammation of the eye lid margins, which is caused by a bacterial infection (Staphylococci). This condition can compromise the quality of the tear film causing tears to evaporate more quickly. The bacteria produce waste material that can cause a mild toxic reaction leading to chronic red, irritated eyes. Click Blepharitis for treatment.
    * Computer Users tend to blink much less frequently (about 7 times per minute vs. a normal rate of around 22 times/minute). This leads to increased evaporation along with the fatigue and eye strain associated with staring at a computer monitor. Ideally, computer users should take short breaks about every 20 minutes to reduce this factor. Also, adjusting the monitor so that it is below eye level will allow the upper lid to be positioned lower and cover more of the eye’s surface, again to reduce evaporation.
    * LASIK surgery temporarily disrupts the ocular surface/lacrimal gland unit. Also, during LASIK, roughly 60-70% of the superficial nerve fibers in the cornea are severed, which impacts sensation and affects acqueous tears. With compromised sensation, the blink rate can slow to the point where the tear film breaks up before the next blink can reconstitute. This may result in mild to severe dry eye syndrome for many months after surgery. This condition usually eventually clears up.
    * Diseases that may be associated with dry eyes include Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetes (especially when the blood sugar is up), Asthma, Thyroid disease (lower lid does not move when blinking), Lupus, and possibly Glaucoma.
    * Age - Tear volume decreases as much as 60% by age 65 from that at age 18. Dry Eye Syndrome affects 75% of people over age 65.
    * Hormonal changes for women can cause decreased tear production brought on by pregnancy, lactation, menstruation, and post menopause.
    * Other including too much coffee drinking, smoking, wearing contact lenses, air-conditioning or heat.

Drugs that can cause dry eye symptoms
    * Antibiotics
    * Blood pressure medications
    * Antidepressants
    * Diuretics
    * Over-the-counter vasoconstrictors (i.e. Visine)
    * Antihistamines
    * Birth control pills
    * Appetite suppressants
    * Ulcer medications

Conventional Treatment:

    * Artificial Tears: Some form of over-the-counter artificial tears is usually recommended. Although they may provide temporary relief, they merely palliate the symptoms. Worse, the preservatives can aggravate the condition, and can even kill corneal cells. Tears that promise to “get the red out” will reduce circulation in the eye, decrease production of the tear film, and worse, eventually make your eyes even drier.
    * Punctal Occlusion: Punctal occlusion is a procedure used to help dry eye patients by closing the tear drainage canals with silicone plugs, which keep most of the fluid from the surface of the eye. This may provide long-term relief.

Tests that can be performed by an eye doctor include the following:

    * Rose Bengal staining pattern
    * Tear film break-up time (<10 seconds)
    * Schirmer tear test
    * Tear Osmolarity
    * Tear protein levels (lactorerrin and lysozyme)
    * Evaluation of debris in tear film
    * Conjunctival impression cytoloty
    * Presence of corneal filaments

Helpful: MSM Eyedrops 1 oz (30ml) - MSM eyedrops permit better eye health

Helpful: Carlsons Finest Omega-3 Fish Oil(200 ml)

Helpful: Digestive Enzymes
Self Help:

Nutrition

    * The Vision Diet - recommended in Natural Eye Care: Your Guide to Healthy Vision, authored by Marc Grossman, O.D., L.Ac. and Michael Edson, MS, L.Ac. Their CD covers 29 major eye conditions with specific nutrient, diet, exercise and juicing instructions by eye condition, plus much more.
    * Make sure to eat lots of green leafy vegetables.
    * Avoid sugar and/or artificial sweeteners: Consumption of more than 11 teaspoons of sugar a day has been linked to dry eye syndrome (a single can of soda contains approximately 9 teaspoons of sugar. Sugar is hidden throughout processed and refined foods including cereals, ketchup, and salad dressings.
    * Avoid the toxic fats in commercial red meat, dairy products, fried foods and hydrogenated oils (such as margarine and shortening). These fats interfere with the proper metabolism of essential fatty acids in the body and are indirect causes of dry eye syndrome. Eat organic or free range whenever possible.
    * Avoid coffee and smoking
    * Avoid hydrogenated and transfatty acid containing foods (i.e.: margarine, most chips ... read labels).
    * Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day.
    * Avoid any foods you may be allergic to. Try cutting out categories of foods for a week at a time, and see how you feel, or visit an allergist for testing. Typical allergenic foods include nightshades (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, white potatoes and cucumbers), milk, wheat, and corn (or products with corn in it).
    * Supplement your diet with a good multivitamin such as One Plus Multivitamin Formula and/or and organic green drink daily
    * Use a humidifier at home and/or at work to keep the air from drying out in the winter.
    * Remember to blink, especially while working at the computer.
    * Check your medications for any side effects that may cause dry eyes.
    * Gently massage upper and lower lids, a couple of times a day to stimulate the tear glands.

Adapted from VisionWorksUSA

 

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