Let's discuss what dry eyes are before getting into the best foods for dry eyes.
What is Dry Eye?
An estimated 4.88 million Americans age 50 and older have dry eyes. Of these, over 3 million are women and 1.68 million are men. It is a multifactorial disease that affects the front surface of the eye, usually caused either by insufficient tear production or a problem with the outermost oil layer of your tears, causing your tears to evaporate more rapidly and causing a tear film instability. You may also experience ocular surface inflammation and damage.
What are the usual symptoms of dry eyes?
The following are some of the symptoms you may experience with dry eyes:
- You may feel a burning and stinging sensation
- You may feel a gritty and uncomfortable feeling in your eyes
- You may also notice that your vision is fluctuating throughout the day
- Your vision may be blurred more so towards the end of the day
How can dry eyes be treated?
Dry eyes can be treated in a variety of ways. One of those is to take various different nutrients to try to alleviate your symptoms of dry eyes by assisting your body in the production of a healthy tear film.
- Fish - Foods that contain omega three fatty acids because they aid in reducing inflammation and target the inflammatory component of dry eyes. So fish is one food that may have a high omega three fatty acid content.
- Seeds and nuts - Many seeds, such as chia seeds and flax seed oil, are really good for your eyes as they are sources of omega 3. Nuts such as walnuts and cashews are also good. Additionally, they contain other components such as vitamin E and zinc, which are great vitamins for maintaining your eye health. Beans also contain a variety of vitamins. They contain zinc, folate, as well as many other nutrients.
- Green leafy vegetables - Additionally, eating green leafy vegetables is good for your eyes thanks to vitamin C , which is made up of various different antioxidants that can help improve your eye health by improving the health of you tear film.
- Hydration - It's also really important to stay hydrated. Staying hydrated throughout the day is crucial.
