The surface of your eye needs lubrication for nourishment and comfort. If your eyes do not produce the right amount of tears, or if you have tears of a low quality, you may have dry eye problems. Some people experience complications such as scars on the cornea, the clear dome on the front of your eye. To minimize symptoms and risks for complications, you doctor may recommend treatments or supplements, such as omega-3, to help your condition.
Symptoms
If you have dry eye, the surface of your eye may sting or burn, and you may feel as if you have sand or other gritty material in your eye. Other symptoms include eye fatigue and vision changes. The blurry vision will often improve if you blink rapidly a few times, since blinking helps spread the tear film over the surface of your eyes. You may also experience excessive tearing, such as tears running down your cheeks. This is the eye's natural response to dryness. However, these thin, watery tears do not have the same quality as the tear film and may actually aggravate your condition by washing out some of the beneficial tear film. Dry eye may also cause inflammation on the surface of your eye, increasing discomfort.
Omega-3 Function
Omega-3 is a fatty acid that has a number of roles, such as aiding in brain function and helping your body grow and develop properly. This nutrient may help certain health conditions, such as lowering cholesterol levels in your blood as well as reducing inflammation. This could offer some benefit to people who have dry-eye-related inflammation. Omega-3 will not cure or treat symptoms directly, but a decrease in inflammation could potentially reduce the severity of your symptoms.
Sources
Your doctor may recommend that you take a supplement to ensure that you have a consistent intake of omega-3 each day. Fish oil capsules contain omega-3, but some people experience stomach upset and burping when using this supplement. An alternative is a flaxseed oil supplement. If you wish to use diet for omega-3, your doctor will help you determine how much of omega-3 rich foods you should eat each day. Possible food choices include a variety of fatty fish, such as mackerel and salmon. You can also select ground flaxseeds, walnuts, canola oil and pumpkin seeds.
Considerations
In addition to an intake of omega-3 to reduce inflammation your doctor will recommend ways to help treat discomfort. A common solution is artificial tears, a nonmedicated eye drop that will add lubrication to the surface of your eye. These drops do not typically cause irritation or adverse reactions, so your doctor may recommend using them many times each day. If artificial tears fail to help, other options may include prescription medications or surgical procedures.
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