Dry Eyes? Try Eating More Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Have you noticed that your eyes often feel dry and scratchy? Maybe your vision eve gets a little blurry as your tears diminish. Dry eyes can interfere greatly with your daily life. While prescription treatments to increase tear production are effective for many patients, you may want to try a more natural approach first. Increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fatty acids involved with the lubrication of tissues and the production of tears, might help.
What are omega-3 fatty acids?
Omega-3 fatty acids are a specific type of unsaturated fatty acids. They are liquid at room temperature and are mostly found in plant foods, though some fish are also a good source. There are several types of omega-3 fatty acids; EPA (or eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (or docosahexaenoic acid) are the best-known of these.
What are some good sources of omega-3 fatty acids?
Fish are probably the best-known source of omega-3s, thanks to the popularity of fish oil supplements for heart health. But not all fish are high in omega-3s. You need to look for cold water fish species, specifically. These fish have high levels of omea-3s in their systems, since the fatty acids keep their tissues from stiffening in the cold water. Salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, and sardines are all good choices. Choose wild-caught varieties rather than farm-raised ones. Wild-caught fish spend most of their time in the deep ocean, where there is less pollution. Farm-raised ones are typically kept close to shore where mercury levels are higher.
You can also get omega-3s from many plant foods. Nuts and seeds are high in these fatty acids – especially flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and sesame seeds. Avocados, tofu, and soybeans are also good sources.
How much omega-3 should you get?
Most experts recommend getting about 250 – 500 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per day in order to enjoy health benefits like less eye dryness. However, it is usually safer to eat more than this – up to 2,000 mg per day is generally considered safe. If your eye dryness does not go away at 500 mg per day, talk to your eye doctor to see whether it is safe for you to increase your intake even more.
If you're having trouble getting enough omega-3s into your diet with food alone, there are a wide array of fish oil supplements on the market. Look for one that has been tested and found to be low in mercury and other metals.
With any luck, your eye dryness should diminish within a few weeks of increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids.