ARTICLES-INDEX
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Do You Suffer From Dry Eyes? |
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I need to get an eyeglass prescription but my corneas are so dry the prescriptions are not accurate. What do I need to do to relieve this discomfort of dry eyes and get an accurate prescription?
What most people don’t understand is that when their eyes start getting overly watery, that is an indication that dry eye syndrome has set in, as paradoxical as it may seem. The wrong type of tears are overproduced and they do not work correctly. There is a build up of thick tears on the lower eyelid. It is not recommended to use eye drops to make eyes more comfortable over a long period of time. You need to go to the source of the problem to cure the issue and not just put a “band-aid” on it. If you keep popping eye drops over a long period of time, it makes the dry eye syndrome worse. |
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If you keep popping eye drops over a long period of time, it makes the dry eye syndrome worse. Our bodies are not meant to work that way. Dry eye syndrome is not to be confused with eye irritation (for example after sitting in a smoke filled room).
Our eyes need to breathe. About 80% of the oxygen your corneas require comes from your body. About 20% comes from the atmosphere. Smoking in enclosed areas is the most major irritant for aggravated eyes, which is even worse with contact lenses. In this case, simple saline solution can be used as a rinse to help get the irritants and toxins out of your tears.
How do you know you are a patient who has a dry eye problem? (Normal dry eyes are not to be confused with contact lens induced dry eyes.) This information is for patients who are not smoking or around smoke and not wearing contact lenses.
If you are not smoking and not wearing contact lenses, this may be your solution:
At Visions of Canada, we started studying dry eyes about 10 years ago. It all started when a patient came into my office and the bottom of her corneas (inferior section) were so dry that we sent her to an ophthalmologist to get his opinion and the doctor’s comments were that he thought my patient was sleeping with her eyes open. The same patient came back into the store about a year later and wanted to purchase contact lenses. I explained to her that patients with dry eyes cannot wear contact lenses and her comment to me was Take a look at my eyes, they feel much better.
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As a licensed optician in Ontario, we are also qualified to fit and dispense contact lenses. I took a look at her corneas with my slit lamp (a microscope to see people’s eyes magnified so much we can dissect the tear layers)… When I looked at her eyes I was so amazed at how nice they looked and how smooth and wet the tear film was. I asked her What did you do?. Her comment was much to the point. When women get into their 40’s and 50’s their hormones change, and as their hormones change it has a direct effect on the tear layer and makes the eyes become drying. Dry eye syndrome is more common in women 40+ than men. Approximately 40 million people in the USA alone are suffering with dry eye syndrome.
I started taking some flax seed oil and some primrose oil and these oils had a direct effect on the health of her tears.
I was so amazed about the results of this that when I started talking to patients with dry eyes, I started mentioning to them the use of flax seed oil. As time went on, we found the main component in flax seed oil is omega three. The intake of omega threes have a direct effect on the outer layer of your tear (oil layer) and without a proper oil layer your tears will evaporate. It is the oil layer that keeps the water layer on your eyes.
People have to use true omega threes to help with this problem because omega three among other things, has anti-inflammatory properties. You can’t use omega six, as that has inflammatory properties, which in turn causes problems with producing the proper tears.
Another example is a patient who had lasik surgery and heard about our glasses. His corneas so dry they were actually white. The lasik surgery hadn’t turned out so great and had an effect of drying out his eyes. I explained about omega three essential fatty acids. He took them, and it worked. The patient is now comfortable, seeing well, and his corneas are clear. |
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After studying many clients over the last ten years and with the help of some continuing education classes, I can help people understand what they need to do to help the tear-making process become better in your eyes.
What can I do to cure my dry eye issues?
Obviously the first thing is, you have to stay away from smoke and not smoke. The second thing is, you need to get a quality omega three (or flax seed oil) to help with the outer layer of the tears. Third thing is, it is recommended that people drink between three and four liters of water a day. If your body is not hydrated, your tears won’t be hydrated. It has also been found that when people do not drink the proper amount of water, that the body will take water from the brain which can cause headaches.
Caffeine must be eliminated, because caffeine has diuretic properties and dehydrates the body. Until the dry eye situation goes away the person should refrain from all caffeine.
It has been proven that using hot cloths against your eyes several times a day will help open and soften the glands that help the goblet cells (oil) do their job. Think about this: When your eye has not been producing the proper amount of tears, these glands are not being used enough. They need to have warmth in them to help them get working again.
Say that you are a person who suffers from a dry eye syndrome that has not been induced by an issue in the immune system. By using the hot compresses, taking your oils, drinking water, and staying away from caffeine, it should not take long before (depending on your age) you should start finding some relief for your eyes.
If you’ve done this (which will only make you healthier) and you are still not getting the results that you’re looking for, there is a great chance that your dry eye syndrome is caused by an underlying immune system problem.
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Different approaches to treatment:
Obviously as we are writing this article, many people have different beliefs about who they want to see (be it a chiropractor or an MD).
If you want to cure this naturally and you do not want to use any medicated eye drops, we would recommend you see a chiropractor. Alignment issues of the spine have been known to cause immune system problems.
Secondly, go see an optometrist or an ophthalmologist and they would examine your eyes and see if you are a candidate for Restasis drops. Do not expect Restasis to work within days because it takes six to eight weeks just to begin having any effect. |
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Neither approach is a quick fix, or something you will only do for a week or two and the problem goes away… it is a lifestyle change. There are things you must do to maintain your tears, and the sooner the better. As we get older the dry eye problem gets compounded.
The only people that we have been told to watch out for are people who are taking medication because they have a water retention problem (diuretics). Don’t start drinking 3-4 liters a day of water if you have this problem – talk to your doctor. Drinking water is known to make people healthier and there is no question that omega threes are not only great for your tears, but they help moisturize your skin from the inside out. Omega threes can thin your blood, so you may want to talk to your doctor before you start beefing up on the omega threes if you have a thin blood problem.
Many people don’t realize their issue is dry eyes because their eyes drip and are too wet. They don’t realize the type of tears produced is the wrong type to cure their issue. We first look at our patients to see if they have an overall healthy look to them. The first things I’d ask to see if they are doing anything to make their problem worse is how much caffeine they drink in a day, how much water, and are they taking any omega threes.
Once these things are done properly (and most people find relief), if the problem still persists, it may be an immune system. If you have an auto-immune disorder, talk to your doctor before taking anything to enhance your immune system.
Stabilizing your tears stabilizes your cornea. Your tears bring food and nutrients to your cornea. Eye doctors will have a hard time doing refractions on patients with dry eye issues. Our recommendation is that you try everything you can to have your tear layers as healthy as possible so that your eye doctor can do the best job they can for you.
As you fix the eyes, the tear layers and the corneas, the eyes refract better and they feel more comfortable.
What if these things do not help enough?
Dry eye syndrome is not to be confused with aggravated eyes where the eyes are irritated by smoke or other environmental factors. For the aggravated eye patients, the first step is to rinse their eyes with saline solution. Wash your hands, and have a helper lift your eyelids up while you wash out the toxins. You can also find some eyewashes on the market too. This is a great thing to do if you have been exposed to smoke for a long period of time.
Many people come in and tell me that their workplaces are very dry and can compound the issue of their dry eye problem. If it is humid, you may not notice the problem. Old buildings can compound the problem. If you are one of these people, chances are it is not an immune system problem, it is an environmental problem. In this case, taking the oils, water, and beefing up you immune system will help you to combat the environmental issues better.
If you are the kind of person who is popping eye drops into your eyes no matter where you are at, and your eyes are running, don’t be surprised if there is an immune system issue.
I run a very busy optical store and a lot of people will find this article. If you are confused, read the article over three or four times to understand what we are talking about, and book an appointment with your eye care professional.
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