Why do my Eyes feel so dry?
Redness! Burning! Irritation! These words are enough to make your eyes water but you can’t. The reason is dry eyes. This is a common ocular problem in the Southwest because of the low humidity, and a common problem in the Northeast when winter heating lowers the humidity. This produces an extra demand on our tear glands to keep the eyes lubricated. Other symptoms of dry eyes are a sensation that something is in the eye or even severe pain. These symptoms tend to be worse in dry cool weather and worse during a windy day. Dry eyes can also be aggravated by pollution and underlying allergies. The eye discomfort is worse when reading and worse toward the end of the day.
Why do my eyes water when my doctor tells me I have dry eyes?
Because the tears are deficient, in ingredients to lubricate the eyes, the body reacts by making more tears which attempt to do the job of lubricating the eyes. More tears but a less effective job lubrication.
There are several common causes of Dry Eyes:
- Poor nutrition. If you don’t have the proper nutrients to manufacture healthy tears you will have symptoms of dry eyes.
- Toxins in the body. This will cause inflammation and decrease in function of the delicate tear film that protects the eyes
- Decrease in blinking. Blinking helps to spread tears across the surface of the eye and lubricate the surface. Any decrease in blinking will cause symptoms of dry eyes.
- Aging. Tear production decreases with aging. The volume of tear production can be 60% less at age 65 than at age 18.
- Environment. High altitude, sunny, dry windy conditions; and the use of heaters, blowers and air conditioning increase tear evaporation and cause symptoms of dry eyes.
- Contact lenses can dramatically increase tear evaporation. Dry eyes are the leading cause of contact lens discomfort.
- Some medications decrease the body’s ability to produce lubricating tears. These include decongestants, antihistamines, diuretics and many other allopathic medications.
Essentials to help dry eye symptoms
- An Organic raw diet is the best way to help achieve proper nutrition and all the essential vitamins necessary for healthy eyes. Not only will you consume more key nutritional elements with this diet but an organic raw diet has less toxic heavy metals and toxic petrochemicals
- Detox your body. Drinking plenty of water will help to detox your body, remove toxins and waste products that are contributing to poor health and eye problems. We also suggest getting checked for heavy metal toxicity. I have found over the years this is becoming more and more of a contributing factor in many eye problems. The best way to to check for heavy metals is a 6 hour Urine challenge test.
- Proper humidity. Keeping proper humidity can help relieve many symptoms of dry eyes. During the winter months, with forced air heating the humidity decreases and dry eye symptoms increase. Consider a home humidifier or treat by placing water basins near heating sources to increase humidity
- Ozonated eye drops have been a success story in helping many patients with dry eyes. Ozone is a highly reactive form of oxygen and when mixed with normal saline it becomes a powerful solution to decrease inflammation, stimulate tear secretion and help healing. Ozone is also a disinfectant safely being used in many swimming pools to reduce bacterial growth. Please call the office to get information on you can make your own ozone eye drops.
- Homeopathy can be very helpful in the treatment of many cases of dry eyes. Homeopathy is based on the law of similars which states that a substance that causes tearing will also treat tearing. For example pealing an onion will cause marked watering of your eyes. Homeopathic onion or Alium Cepa will be used to treat watering eyes.
- Microcurrent therapy . This is a method of administering a low level of current to improve circulation, stimulate cellular activity and reduce inflammation. Microcurrent in many dry eye patients will improve tear function and reduce many dry eye symptoms.
- Syntonic light therapy . This could be the biggest advance in the effective treatment of dry eyes. Certain light frequencies have been reported to stimulate cellular activity and reduce inflammation.
Essential vitamins for dry eyes
Deficiency of Vitamin A has been shown to contribute to dry eyes. Mild vitamin A deficiency may result in changes in the conjunctiva (corner of the eye) called Bitot’s spots. Severe or prolonged vitamin A deficiency causes a condition called xerophthalmia (dry eye), characterized by changes in the cells of the cornea The first line of treatment to insure an adequate level of Vitamin A is a healthy diet with fresh dark green leafy vegetables.
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid is an important antioxidant. It is essential to many of our bodies systems from detoxification to collagen formation, as well as the production of neurotransmitters and prevention of cell damage. Vitamin C helps to reduce the inflammation associated with the dry eye and improve comfort it also helps to chelate and remove heavy metals and toxins in the body that are contributing to dry eyes
Vitamin E is another important antioxidant essential for the health of the eye and helps promote healthy tear film function
Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, is one of 8 B vitamins. All B vitamins help the body convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which is used to produce energy. All of the B vitamins are important in treating dry eyes, but vitamin B6 aids in the proper absorption of magnesium. which is necessary for tear production.
Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Magnesium deficiency has been reported to be linked to dry eyes.
Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are essential for the health of the tear film of the eye. The typical American diet has an excess of omega 6 and is lacking in omega 3. Shifting your diet away from fried greasy foods and more towards vegetables and nuts will increase levels of omega 3. Deficiency of omega oils has been reported to contribute to dry eye syndrome. Omega-3 acids may also benefit dry eye by reducing inflammatory activity in the body and by possibly altering the lipid profiles of the meibomian glands. Some components of the omega-3 acids are thought to stimulate aqueous tear secretion.
Dr. Kondrot’s New Dry Eye Formula!
I have worked over the last 2 years to develop a vitamin formula that is unparalleled to anything on the market. It might cost a little more than other brands but you have 5 to 25 times more of the essential ingredients needed to effectively treat this condition. If you are serious in treating your dry eyes then you must begin using this product.
Compared to two of the leading selling dry eye vitamins my formula has from 5 to 25 times more of these key ingredients to help your dry eye symptoms.
25 times the amount of vitamin A
5 times the Vitamin C
10 times the vitamin E
10 times the Vitamin B6
5 times the magnesium
PLUS this Dry Eye Formula Contains twice the omega oils in plant based form. No harmful fish oils. Read how fish oils are contributing to blindness!
Includes a proprietary blend of green food supplements; including wheat, barley and alfalfa grass; spirulina and chlorella; broccoli, cauliflower; acerola, beet, and spinach
Also includes green tea extract, milk thistle, ginggo biloba, grape seed extract and bilberry
Also includes a special mix of probiotic cultures and digestive enzymes