Dr. Grossman’s Blog

via www.nei.nih.gov

Dry eye syndrome can be a difficult condition to cope with, especially if you are a contact lens wearer.

Many patients found that the eye drops that can be purchased at the pharmacy don’t work, and can even be hazardous to use – eye drops that contain preservatives can aggravate dry eye symptoms, and even kill corneal cells. Eye drops 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.

A study published in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye showed that the omega-6 fatty acids in evening primrose oil can help reduce dry eye symptoms in female contact lens wearers.  After six months, the women in the trial who were administered evening primrose oil reported less eye dryness than those who received the placebo (olive oil).

Read more research studies on dry eyes.

For other natural treatment options for dry eye, click here.

Diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to progressively blurred vision, is a real concern for diabetes patients.  In truth, only 6% of those with diabetes will lose their vision entirely because blindness in diabetics is largely treatable.  Changes in diet and lifestyle can help control both diabetes and diabetic retinopathy.

Those with diabetic retinopathy are much more susceptible to dry eye symptoms.  Diabetics have decreased tear break-up time, which indicates poor tear film stability.  A review of a number of studies on diabetic retinopathy and its effects published in the Expert Review of Ophthalmology states that “patients whose dry eye symptoms worsened tended to be those whose serum glucose was poorly controlled.”  Get more information on how to treat dry eye syndrome naturally.

Learn more about how to treat diabetes naturally.

For more on how to prevent and treat diabetic retinopathy, visit our website.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/729120

Image by Marcus BH

Researchers are examining dry eye syndrome‘s relationship to meibomian gland dysfunction and other eye conditions.

According to The Cornea & Contact Lens Society of New Zealand, “meibomian glands are the oil-producing glands located in both the upper and lower eyelids… This oil helps to stop the water in the tears from evaporating, thus helping to prevent dry eyes.”  Dry eye symptoms can result when this stabilizing oil does not reach the tear film.

Spanish scientists publishing in Cornea found that nearly 50% of subjects with dry eye also had meibomian gland dysfunction.

In this study, it was also concluded that “Pterygium, trauma, cataract surgery, pseudoexfoliation, and glaucoma are associated with signs of dry eye.”

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20847672

For self-help tips on how to resolve dry eye symptoms, visit our website.

Researchers have found a link between diabetic retinopathy and dry eye syndrome.  More than 50% of type 2 diabetes patients enrolled in a study at Yazd Diabetes Research Center exhibited dry eye symptoms in addition to their main complaint of diabetic retinopathy.  Study authors acknowledge a connection between the conditions, but state that further research is necessary to establish a causal relationship between the two.  They do state that “examination for dry eye should be an integral part of the assessment of diabetic eye disease.”

SOURCE: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/579813

For more information on preventing and treating both diabetic retinopathy and dry eyes, please visit our website.

In a pilot study, patients suffering from dry eye symptoms who exhibited a chronic need/use of lubricant drops were given X500 mg capsules of evening Primrose oil (Efamol-73% linoleic acid and 10% gamma-linolenic acid), 50 mg vitamin B6 (pyroxidine) and 1 g vitamin C three times a day. Over 50% of those in the study showed substantial improvement within 2-6 weeks. For more information on research on dry eye conditions, please visit our website.

According to the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database, an independent guide dedicated to researching and sharing the contents of personal care products and their effects on the body, mercury has been found in the following products related to your eyes: Paula Dorf Cake Mascara for Eyes, Raven and Similasan Healthy Relief Eye Drops, 1 for Dry and Red Eyes.

Mercury is known to damage brain function and cause other health problems even when present at low levels.  Beware of any cosmetics or personal products that list the mercury preservative “thimerosal.”

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.

Dry eyes are a condition of the entire body, not just the eyes, and should be addressed as such, meaning that those who suffer from this condition should consider making changes to their diet and introducing nutritional supplements.  One of the most important aspects for people who suffer from dry eyes is the prohibition against sugar and/or artificial sweeteners. Sugar increases the risk for dry eyes.

For further information, please visit Dr. Grossman’s page on Dry Eye treatment and prevention.

In this dry eye study, it shows that the GLA group showed a significant improvement in the specific symptom of ‘dryness’ at 3 and 6 months (p <0.01) as well as significant improvement in overall lens comfort at 6 months (p<0.01). Tear meniscus height was increased in the GLA group at 6 months relative to baseline (p<0.01), although all other objective signs were unchanged.

GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), an omega-6 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties can be found in oils derived from black currant seeds and the evening primrose plant. Several small trials testing GLA and linoleic (LA) oil in dry eye syndrome with an inflammatory component report reduced ocular surface inflammation and symptom improvement.

Related Studies:
1. Barabino, M et al. Systemic linoleic and gamma-linolenic acid therapy in dry eye syndrome with an inflammatory component. Cornea 22:97?101, 2003.
2. Aragona P, et al. Systemic omega-6 essential fatty acid treatment and PGE1 tear content in Sjogren’s syndrome patients. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 46:4474?9, 2005
3. Kokke KH, et al. Oral omega-6 essential fatty acid treatment in contact lens associated dry eye. Contact Lens Anterior Eye 31:141-6, 2008.
4. Macri A, et al. Effect of linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid on tear production, tear clearance and on the ocular surface after photorefractive keratectomy. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 241: 561-6, 2003.

For natural remedies for dry eye syndrome, go to Natural Eye Care

Almost 4% of men in the United States develop dry eye disease (DED) after age 50, while almost 7.7% of men over 80 develop the disease, making it one of the most common eye conditions in the country.  By the year 2030, DED is expected to affect more than 2.79 million US men.

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

In the study, published in June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, researchers analyzed data on 25,444 men over the age of 50 who participated in the Physicians’ Health Study I and II.  DED was defined as the presence of clinically diagnosed dry eye or severe symptoms (both dryness and constant or frequent irritation).   About 3% reported a previous diagnosis of dry eye, while 6.8% said they had constantly or frequently experienced at least one symptom such as dryness or irritation. Roughly 2.2% reported both symptoms constantly or frequently.

Although research has shown DED is more common among women, about 1.68 million men over age 50 in the United States now have the disease.

Researchers also noted that DED risk increases with age, hypertension, benign prostatic hyperplasia (a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate), and antidepressant use.

Learn about vitamins and other nutritional products recommended for dry eye, and review a list of drugs that can cause dry eye symptoms at the Natural Eye Care website

SOURCE:  “Prevalence of Dry Eye Disease Among US Men,” Schaumberg, et al, Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(6):763-768.

A recent 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

For more information on dry eyes and eyedrops containing retinal palmitate, see the dry eye section at http://www.naturaleyecare.com/