- Supplements alone won't completely treat dry eye, but recent studies have examined the link between certain
vitamins and eye disease. - Omega-3 fatty acids that can be found in fish oil or flaxseed may help treat dry eye, along with other vitamins like A, E, and B12.
- Many factors can cause dry eye and can indicate other
health problems, so it's best to check with a doctor before adding any vitamins and supplements to your regimen.
When your
As many as $4 suffer from dry eyes, which can range in severity from mild irritation to severe pain. The condition is common, especially in $4, according to the $4 at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Although results are inconclusive, vitamins and supplements have been studied in an effort to treat or prevent dry eyes.
Here's what you need to know about dry eyes and whether vitamins and supplements may help.
What causes dry eyes?
"Dry eye is a complex disease and is affected by not only what we eat, but also by our environment and our activities, such as prolonged computer use or TV viewing," says $4, MD, a dry eye specialist and ophthalmologist at Cleveland Clinic. When you're using the computer or watching television, you blink less and produce fewer tears.
He says dry eyes may also be caused by a variety of medical conditions including:
Taking certain medicines, such as $4, $4, antihistamines, and medications to treat anxiety or depression are also linked to dry eyes.
Treatment for dry eyes usually involves over-the-counter artificial tears, or an eye ointment or gel, says $4, an $4 in private practice in New York City. A $4 can also help by adding moisture to your environment.
Research has tied a $4 to overall eye health. Getting $4 and nutrients through diet and exercise have been found to be particularly helpful in ameliorating the progression of $4, which has stimulated studies of the role of supplements for treating other conditions. Some doctors say the following supplements may help dry eyes:
1. Omega-3 fatty acids
Fish oil containing $4 is a popular recommendation.
"Many physicians feel that omega-3 supplementation is generally safe, and many patients feel improvement in their dry eye symptoms with its use, making it one of the most recommended supplements," Sayegh says.
"These come in various forms and dosages making them difficult to study in a standardized manner," says Sayegh. "Several $4 have shown a $4 on $4 of the lid margins and improvement in the oil composition of the tear film which reduces its evaporation."
For example, a 2008 $4 found that patients taking two 1000-mg capsules of flaxseed oil three times a day orally offered some benefit to patients with conditions such as $4, and/or $4 (MGD), eyelid inflammatory disorders associated with dry eye. Flaxseed oil seemed to improve the oil quality produced by the eyelid glands.
In 2018, one of the $4 on the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on dry eyes concluded that patients who received 3,000 mg of omega-3 for 12 months did not show significantly better results than patients who received an olive oil placebo.
Possible $4 of fish oil include increased risk of bleeding and an increased risk of stroke. Omega-3 fatty acids can potentially $4 with blood thinners, blood pressure medications, and contraception.
2. Vitamin A
Severe $4 can result in dry eyes, which supplements may help.
Park points out that Vitamin A deficiency is rare in the US, as it is associated with $4. The $4 considers vitamin A deficiency a public health problem globally. In Americans, it has been seen to occur in some patients with $4 and some after $4.
$4 is an important component of the chemicals in the $4 responsible for vision, says Sayegh. In certain cases, an over-the-counter vitamin A ointment such as $4 may be applied directly to the eyes to reduce dryness.
However, Park cautions "you must be cautious to not overdose vitamin A, as it is stored in the liver and an excess may produce $4." Too much vitamin A may also lead to $4, which could lead to papilledema (optic nerve swelling) and blindness.
A small 2019 $4 concluded that in a sample of Saudi Arabian men, 1500 mg of vitamin A taken orally for three consecutive days improved "the quality, but not quantity, of tears in patients with dry eye." This finding warrants further research.
3. Vitamin B12
There are exciting $4 linking vitamin B12 in helping patients with $4 and $4, says Sayegh.
Several $4 have linked Vitamin B12 deficiencies in patients with conditions that result in dry eye. In one $4, a patient in India reportedly experienced dramatic improvement within three weeks of using a B12 vitamin serum after suffering blistering pain and a gritty feeling in her eye for one year. Within six months, the authors noted that she was symptom-free.
Since vitamin B12 is only present in foods derived from animals, vegans require B12 supplements - symptoms and signs of B12 deficiency include anemia, yellow skin, optic neuropathy, $4, and peripheral $4, leading to weakness or numbness in your extremities.
Due to the variability of absorption when taken orally, B12 is often $4 - usually in the arm, buttock, or thigh, Park says.
4. Lutein
Lutein>$4 is an anti-inflammatory nutrient found naturally in the retina and dark green leafy vegetables, such as kale and spinach. A $4 by Taiwanese doctors found that lutein may help reduce inflammation in cultured corneal epithelial cells, the layer which protects the front of the eye and may help to reduce dry eye symptoms.
Since lutein is considered a safe dietary supplement used in the treatment of age-related $4 (AMD) and other eye diseases, the study's "promising results support further research into using lutein use to treat dry eye," the authors concluded.
5. Vitamin E
"Vitamin E is an important $4, however, no direct beneficial effect of supplementation on dry eye has been shown," Sayegh says.
However, a small 2020 $4 in Spain tested eye drops composed of $4 $4, and $4 against artificial tears formulated with the sodium derivative $4 in menopausal patients. It found that a lower daily dose of the drops containing vitamin E "was sufficient to achieve better dry eye disease management compared to carmellose." That said, it's unclear whether the improvement can be wholly credited to vitamin E.
Insider's takeaway
While there are no treatments for dry eyes from supplements alone, the NIH and other institutions have recently undertaken studies to examine the link between several vitamins and eye disease with promising, but inconclusive results - sparking more interest in such research.
Many doctors consider there to be little harm in it and a potential improvement from taking fish oil or flaxseed supplements to improve dry eye.
However, many factors can cause dry eye - which can indicate other health problems - so it's best to check with a doctor before adding any of the aforementioned vitamins and supplements to your regimen.