Rescue for Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry Eye Syndrome?

Recently, Annie Mae, our Schnauzer, was diagnosed with dry eye syndrome in her left eye. Between eye drops and vet appointments, I’ve been on a journey to find out what caused it, especially when my vet said Annie Mae’s eye drops were $66 but for people, the same drops are in the $800 range. That’s a lot of money. All this made me highly motivated to know how to alleviate this problem.

Here’s what I found:

So what is dry eye syndrome? The eyes just don’t produce enough moisture. “Symptoms of dry eye typically include discomfort, stinging, redness, and fatigue in the eyes, along with blurred vision and sensitivity to light. The etiology of dry eye is complex, but research suggests that inflammatory factors play a key role.” Annie Mae had a lot of eye discharge, which is what took us to the vet.

You will want to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Get my book The Anti-Inflammation Diet.

Vitamin D

A study was published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases which showed that vitamin D deficiency is strongly associated with dry eye. (1)

Vitamin A

Vitamin A deficiency has been linked with dry eye. Eat more green, orange, and yellow vegetables.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

The National Eye Institute (NEI) suggest that omega-3 fats may decrease symptoms of irritation in people with dry eye.(3)

Notes

1 Tovey, A. & Cannell, J. New study suggests vitamin D deficiency is related to dry eye. The Vitamin D Council Blog & Newsletter, 2015.

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18848318

3 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315270.php

Recipe

Berry Bright Eyes

• 1 green apple
• 1 cup blueberries
• 3 leaves of kale
• 1 carrot, tops removed
• 1/2 cucumber

Juice all ingredients, stir, and enjoy!