Kind of reviving a dormant topic here but I didn't see much on dry eye recently and this is my personal hot button so I'm going to post in this thread... follow-up to the tuna debates.
Dry eye is usually not about being "dry", unless it's associated with auto-immune disease or a rare cause where the lacrimal (moisture-producing) glands are affected. Dry eye is about anything and everything that goes wrong with the tear film, which is made of a lot of substances.
Commonly, dry eye symptoms are caused by the meibomian (oil) glands in the upper and lower eyelids not producing enough oil, or the oil becoming thick and hard in the glands rather than flowing into the tear film. This oil is what keeps your tears from evaporating too quickly. CARE OF THE OIL GLANDS is essential to keeping your glands healthy.
That's why tuna and omega 3 supplements are the rage. They are supposed to fight inflammation in the meibomian glands.
But Omega 3 does not work for everyone. Improving meibomian gland function may involve:
- Omega 3
- Warm compresses (hot washloth, rice baggy, etc)
- Oral antibiotics
- Lid hygiene if it's related to blepharitis
Anyone who has dry eye that is, or is becoming, chronic needs to learn about the causes and types of dry eye. DON'T JUST KEEP PUTTING EYEDROPS IN YOUR EYES. Find out what the cause is and get it treated properly. There are many pitfalls in dry eye treatment - both when you're trying to handle it on your own, and when you're seeing doctors who are not dry eye specialists. I find it very sad that so many people treat it wrong until it has progressed to the point from which it may not be reversible.
I highly recommend Dr. Latkany's book The Dry Eye Remedy. It does a terrific job of explaining the real causes of dry eye and practical things you can do for prevention and care. It's available from all the usual places and it's a great investment for anyone with dry eye.