Prevent Blindness America reminds us that women are more likely to suffer from dry eye syndrome than men.
Their organization has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness month. They quote Lynn K Gordon, MD, PhD, president of the national organization, Women in Ophthalmology, ““Not only do more women have dry eye, they are also more likely to develop eye diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma. And, because of increased longevity, women are more likely to develop macular degeneration. It is imperative that women of every age make an appointment with their eye doctor as soon as possible to ensure that they are protecting their vision for the future.” Source: Prevent Blindness America
So, what can a woman (or a man) who wants to prevent dry eyes do?
- Make sure to eat lots of green leafy vegetables.
- Avoid sugar and/or artificial sweeteners: Eating more than 3-2/3 tablespoons of sugar a day has been connected this condition (note that only one can of soda contains about 3 tablespoons of sugar). Sugar is included in most refined and or processed such as instant dinners, cereals, mustard, ketchup, and salad dressings and sauces and other condiments.
- Avoid toxic fats that are found in commercial red meat and poultry, dairy products, fried foods, and hydrogenated margarine and shortening. These fats have the capacity to interfere with the proper metabolism of essential fatty acids in the body and are indirect causes of dry eye syndrome. Eat organic products whenever possible.
- Limit coffee and stop smoking.
- Avoid hydrogenated and transfatty acid containing foods
- Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day.
- Avoid any foods to which you may be allergic.
- Supplement your diet with a good multivitamin and/or an organic green drink daily.
- Try drops with vitamin A (see below)
Vitamin A & Dry Eye
A study done at the Catholic University of Korea showed that using eyedrops containing retinal palmitate daily for 4 weeks can effectively relieve the symptoms of dry eyes and improve tear film production.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
Accepted 11 August 2008. published online 09 October 2008. Inquiries to Choun-Ki Joo, Department of Ophthalmology, KangNam St Mary’s Hospital, #505 Ban-Po Dong, Seocho-Ku, Seoul 137-040, Korea
