A dry eye is a long-term condition in which the body doesn’t produce enough tears (or the tears it does produce aren’t good enough) to keep the eyes moist. If you have dehydrated eye syndrome, you may include itchy, red eyes and pain.
This is a bad thing that can make your life less enjoyable. There are treatment options, like eye drops, but many people look for other ways to keep their eyes moist. Taking in certain nutrients may help reduce inflammation and tear production, which may help ease dry eye symptoms.
Because food is not a substitute for other medical treatments, such as eye drops or creams, it’s important to point out that food is not a substitute for them. This paper will examine the foods that have been proven to help with dry eye symptoms.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
There is some evidence that if you eat more omega-3 fatty acids, your dry eye symptoms may disappear. Omega-3 fatty acids are believed to support the body fight off inflammation. Some research also shows that omega-3s can help people produce more tears and improve the quality of their tears.
One recent study looked at 17 clinical trials and found that taking omega-3 supplements decreased dry eye symptoms and improved tear quality more than taking a placebo. Dry eye patients who took an omega-3 supplement twice a day for 30 days saw a big difference in how quickly their tears evaporated and how many tears they made.
Omega-3s can be bought as supplements or found in foods like:
- Fat fish like trout, salmon, sardines, and mackerel are good for you.
- Walnuts
- Flaxseed and Chia seeds.
- Seaweed and algae are also found in the sea and on the land.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a drug that usually makes you feel more alert. It comes from coffee, black tea, and green tea. You may have heard that caffeine makes you pee a little (meaning it may trigger the need to urinate).
A recent study indicates that caffeine may also help tear production, which may help relieve dry eye symptoms. This may sound like it would be bad for your body, but it could be good for your eyes. One study found that more caffeine intake was linked to a lower risk of dry eye disease.
Antioxidants
They help protect cells from oxidation and free radicals, which can cause them to break down and damage them. Besides protecting your eyes from damage, research shows that antioxidants help improve tear production and lessen dry eye symptoms.
Here are some antioxidants (and the foods they can be found in) that might help with dry eye symptoms:
Vitamin C
People who get enough vitamin C can keep their cells safe and keep their skin and blood vessels healthy. It’s also called ascorbic acid.
Vitamin C is located in meals like:
- Broccoli
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Leafy green vegetables
- Tomatoes
- Citrus fruits
There are vitamins C and E in the tear film layer that helps protect and lubricate the eyes. Vitamin C helps protect the eyes from things like pollution and other things that might get into them. In research, it has been found that taking vitamin C helps make more tears.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that assists the body in doing many things. A lot of different foods have it. It can be located in oils like safflower oil, and it can also be found in pumpkin, spinach, almonds, peanuts, and pumpkin seeds. Vitamin E has a lot of benefits, but one of them is that it helps protect your eyes. It assists in protecting the retina from damage and a healthy tear film layer.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is essential for eye health. There can be problems with your eyes if you don’t get enough vitamin A. These problems can happen at night and cause dry eye syndrome. There are, however, very few people who don’t have enough of it because it’s found in many foods, like:
- Eggs
- Pumpkin
- Squash
- Carrots
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Dairy and cheese
People who consume meals high in vitamin A (or who take a multivitamin that has the nutrient) may be able to lessen their dry eye symptoms and improve the quality of their tears.
Vitamin D
This is another fat-soluble vitamin. Vitamin D is also one of them. After being in the sun, it can be made in the body. This makes it unique. Somebody who lives in locations where the light isn’t as intense in the winter or always uses sunscreen to protect their skin from sun damage can have deficiencies.
Studies have shown that people who don’t get enough vitamin D are more likely to have dry eyes. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to worse dry symptoms and less tear production. Dry eye symptoms may improve if you eat more vitamin D.
It’s hard to obtain enough vitamin D via nutrition alone. Some foods have vitamin D, like fatty fish, milk that has been fortified, and mushrooms, but it’s hard to obtain enough vitamin D via nutrition alone. Each day, you should spend 10 or 15 minutes in the sun. This will help you get enough vitamin D. If you live in a place that doesn’t get a lot of sunlight, it might be a good idea to take vitamin D pills.
Zeaxanthin and Lutein
In the retina, there are two antioxidants called zeaxanthin and lutein. They are found in high amounts there. UV and other free radicals can be harmful to the eye, so they help to protect it. People who eat more zeaxanthin and lutein may be less likely to get eye diseases, like dry eye.
Zeaxanthin and lutein are found in foods like:
- Greens with dark leaves
- Squash grows in the summer.
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Lettuce
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Tomatoes
- The yolks of eggs
Foods not to eat
Some foods can harm your eye health by causing your body to become more irritated, which can cause dry eye symptoms. Foods to stay away from:
- Refined grains
- Foods eat fried food.
- Juices and sodas
- The food is fast.
- Processed meats
- Bread and pasta
- Sugary foods
