Dry Eyes

Getting a thorough eye exam has always been about more than reading letters off an eye chart. That is even truer today. One reason: We are harder on our eyes than ever before. Many of us spend hours each day staring and squinting at screens, developing digital eyestrain, and exposing our eyes to potentially damaging blue light.

But the typical tests offered during a standard eye exam may not go far enough to find problems as early as possible. Even a basic dilated eye exam may not be enough.
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About 33 million Americans in all age groups experience varying degrees of dry eye symptoms. The symptoms may include dryness, grittiness, irritation, burning, and even the seeming contradiction of excessive watering or tearing. What are the risk factors for dry eye? Is there a treatment or cure? How can you prevent dry eye? Does dry eye reflect overall health?

Dry Eye Symptoms

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Lack of Vitamin D has been associated with eye diseases like uveitis, macular degeneration, and dry eye. Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to cancer, immune disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, bone pain, depression, asthma, multiple sclerosis, and even dementia. Shockingly, more than 40% of the US population is Vitamin D deficient. The body manufactures Vitamin D, so why is deficiency wide spread? Indoor living, aging, and many other factors are behind this virtual pandemic. How can you measure your vitamin D levels? How can you get enough? Isn’t fortified milk enough? Should you take a supplement? Which one?
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Scientists recently discovered a fat molecule that they called “palmitoleic acid”, a type of Omega-7 fatty acid. The substance appears to have special anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-7 occurs in certain fish oils and nuts. You may have heard of Omega-3 fatty acids, which come mostly from cold water fatty fish. Omega-3s reduce inflammation and heart disease risk. Omega-6 fatty acids occur in primarily in nuts and seeds, vegetable oil and grains. Omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats. Omega-7s are monounsaturated fats, similar to olive oil. How are these types of fats different? What makes palmitoleic acid so important for preventing Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome? Should you get them through food or supplements? How much should you take?
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The eyes are small, but they have many parts including the eyelids, sclera, cornea, lens, optic nerve and retina. We depend heavily on our vision. When something goes wrong, the eyes are disproportionately affected. For example, a senior at risk of heart disease is also at risk of an ocular arterial or vein occlusion. Also, the macula requires a yellow-colored nutrient (lutein and zeaxanthin) found in certain vegetables such as green leafy vegetables, red, yellow and green peppers, corn and eggs. And antioxidants found in fresh fruits and vegetables have been shown to reduce oxidative eye damage and eye disease.
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Dry eye is a common complaint at the optometrist’s office.

Symptoms include dry, itchy, eyes. Causes of dry eye are diverse. Sometimes the root cause is treatable, and sometimes only the symptoms can be managed. However, dry eye syndrome is not new. Neither is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), an ancient system of healthcare that dates back thousands of years. TCM has techniques for addressing the complete spectrum of human wellness, including dry eye syndrome.
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People who have advanced eye disease have waited too long to improve their vision health. Keeping the eyes health is a lifetime endeavor. An unhealthy lifestyle and poor nutrition lead to a higher risk of eye diseases. Researchers have linked cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, optic neuropathy, retinal vein occlusions, and other eye conditions to mostly-controllable risk factors. Seniors are especially at risk. Natural Eye Care offers this guide to improving vision health.
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You need to protect your eyes when the weather is dry or windy. During the colder seasons, relative humidity indoors is low. Outdoors, wind can blow dust, pollution, ice and snow. Find out how to protect yourself from dry eyes, allergens, irritation, and injury.

Dry Eye from Low Indoor Humidity

Dry eye is a common eye complaint. The eyes may feel itchy, burning, irritated, sore or gritty.
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The eye has a delicate vascular system. Eye circulation brings oxygen and nutrients to the eyes. It also removes waste products. The “choroid” is the part of the eye that circulates blood. Fats and blood clots that damage the arteries can also clog the arteries and veins in the eyes. This condition is common as people age. Poor circulation is associated with many eye diseases:

• Retinal vein occlusion is a sudden blockage that can cause serious, permanent eye damage.
• Age-Related Macular Degeneration patients have thinner choroids (thinning of the retina) – often due to lack of essential nutrients reaching the retina.
• If the choroid does not have enough oxygen, new blood vessels can form. These blood vessels unfortunately are of poor quality and often leak blood and fluids in the retina, which can result in severe vision loss (“wet” macular degeneration or choroidal neovascularization) if not treated (common treatment is an injection of either Lucentis, Avastin or EyLea to dry up the blood vessels and reduce related inflammation).

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Eye washes provide natural relief for irritated, inflamed eyes. Natural Eye Care recommends eye washes for a wide variety of eye conditions. Good lid hygiene can both soothe and prevent eye irritation.

Eye irritation can be caused by conjunctivitis, bacterial or viral infections, dry eyes, hormonal changes, allergies, drug side-effects, dehydration, excessive screen time,
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