To Your Health

Q. As I get older my eyes keep getting dryer. Some brands of the artificial tears seem to make it even worse. Is there a "natural" remedy?

A. While there is no universal cure for dry eyes, there are some remedies worth trying, and your ophthalmologist may be able to do some tests that will help pinpoint the remedies to try first. Avoid the eye drops that "get the red out" and the artificial tears with preservatives since these can aggravate dry eyes.

It helps to know that tears are not simply salty water. The cells at the surface of your eye have no blood supply, so they must rely on tears to supply the essential minerals such as potassium and magnesium, as well as the oxygen, needed for cells of the eyes to function. Next to the eye is an inner layer of mucous that helps the tears adhere to the eye, while the outer layer of tears consist of oil that helps prevent evaporation of moisture. As we grow older, women especially tend to become deficient in certain oils, which allows the tears to evaporate faster and results in dry eyes. Supplementation with the essential fatty acids most commonly deficient in the American diet, eicosapentaenoic acid and gamma linolenic acid (EPA and GLA), in a 4:1 ratio, has been helpful for some who suffer from dry eyes.

According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Nov. 7, 2001, dry eye syndrome is a common condition in post-menopausal women. It may be one of the effects of "estrogen excess," the imbalance of estrogen and progesterone produced when progesterone is omitted from a hormone replacement regimen. Nonprescription progesterone cream is available, and results from using it for a variety of menopausal symptoms are generally superior to prescription progestin.

Vitamin A is the most common nutrient involved in eye problems, including dryness, but keep in mind that zinc is required to both transport and utilize vitamin A. Also, the thyroid hormone is involved in vitamin A metabolism, and vitamin A deficiency symptoms are often found when thyroid function is impaired.

Factors such as dry climate or the low humidity produced by air conditioning also causes dry eyes. Contact lens wearers often suffer from dry eyes because the contact lenses absorb the tear film. Forty percent of dry eye sufferers are smokers, and cigarette smoke may also contribute an allergic component to the issue. If you find that reading or working on a computer aggravates your symptoms, practice stopping periodically to rest and consciously blink to keep your eyes more comfortable.

A serious autoimmune disease known as Sjögren's Syndrome is characterized by a reduction in secretions of all sorts, most notably by salivary glands but also tear glands. If you seem to be "drying out overall" your physician can do tests to rule out this condition.

If your ophthalmologist fears that the health of your cornea is threatened by continued dryness, he may recommend plugging the tear ducts to slow the drainage of tears. In one study, 85% of patients with dry eyes were able to reduce their need for artificial tears to occasional or seasonal use by this method.

Treating dry eyes is important not only for your comfort, but also for the health of the whole eye.