In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of patients seeking medical attention for dry eye syndrome. While dry eye syndrome was traditionally associated with age and certain medical conditions, the causes of this condition have become more diverse. Factors such as prolonged use of electronic devices, exposure to air pollution and PM2.5 particles, climate changes leading to extended periods in air-conditioned or heated environments, personal health, and stress have contributed to the surge in cases. This shift has expanded the occurrence of dry eye syndrome from being predominantly observed in middle-aged and elderly individuals to affecting a growing number of young people.
Complaints of tired and dry eyes have become a common refrain for almost everyone. For those seeking dietary solutions to improve dry eye syndrome, here are some recommendations.
Methods to Improve Dry Eye Syndrome in Daily Life
1. Maintain regular daily routines, ensure an adequate amount of sleep, and avoid staying up late.
2. Use artificial tears and warm eye compresses when discomfort arises, and take breaks as needed.
In addition, maintaining a balanced diet by consuming vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins A, C, and E is crucial. Various nutritional supplements can also assist in managing dry eye syndrome. Well-known examples include **bilberry, maqui berries, and Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil or flaxseed oil**, which can regulate tear secretion and reduce tear evaporation.
For further reading on related topics:
– [The 6 Benefits and Side Effects of Maqui Berries (Powerful Antioxidant! A Good Companion for Lutein)](https://medschool.cc/article/maqui)
– [Latest 2023: 16 Recommended Lutein Brands – Experts Select 7 Key Points for Lutein](https://medschool.cc/article/eyes-supplement)
– [Latest 2023: 7 Recommended and Compared Fish Oil Brands – 5 Key Points for Choosing High-Concentration Deep-Sea Fish Oil](https://medschool.cc/article/5-tips-to-choose-fish-oil)
Foods Recommended for Dry Eye Syndrome
Maintaining a balanced diet and ensuring an adequate intake of water are crucial for maintaining eye health. Patients with dry eye syndrome are advised to consume vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins A, C, and E, as well as supplement their diet with Omega-3-rich foods such as fish and nuts. Here are four major categories of foods that help protect the eyes from damage:
1. Vegetables:
Various vegetables such as carrots, peas, seaweed, amaranth, spinach, Chinese broccoli, watercress, sweet potato leaves, and tong hao are rich in β-carotene. This compound can be converted into vitamin A in the body, preventing dryness and the onset of dry eye syndrome.
2. Fruits:
Many fruits contain antioxidants that reduce eye damage and provide protection. Fruits high in vitamin C include acerola cherries, guava, kiwi, pomelo, lemon, grapefruit, passion fruit, cherry tomatoes, and sugar apple. Fruits rich in anthocyanins, such as bilberries, black currants, maqui berries, and blueberries, also contribute to preventing dry eye syndrome by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tears.
3. Fish, Meat, and Eggs:
Fatty fish like sardines, mackerel, sablefish, tuna, salmon, and saury are rich in high-quality Omega-3 fatty acids. These acids help alleviate inflammation on the eyelids or eye surface, reduce the stinging sensation associated with dry eyes, and replenish the outermost lipid layer of the eyes to prevent rapid tear evaporation. Additionally, eggs are rich in vitamin E, providing high antioxidant capabilities. They protect eye cells from damage by reducing the free radical content in tears. Liver from pork, chicken, and fish is also rich in vitamin A, suitable for individuals with dry eye syndrome.
4. **Grains, Nuts, and Seeds:** Despite their small size, nuts are packed with rich nutrients, including beneficial fats, dietary fiber, various vitamins (A, B, C, E), and minerals (magnesium, copper, selenium, manganese). Flaxseeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, almonds, wheat germ, rice germ, walnuts, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds are all rich in components beneficial to the eyes. Nuts, which are simultaneously rich in Omega-3 and vitamin E, play a significant role in preventing the oxidation of Omega-3 fatty acids, optimizing their utilization and metabolism in the human body.
Foods to Avoid for Dry Eye Syndrome
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Stimulating Foods
May exacerbate symptoms of dry eye syndrome. For example, the consumption of alcohol after drinking can lead to the entry of alcohol into the tears, causing changes in tear osmolarity, increasing tear evaporation, and shortening the tear break-up time (TBUT), thereby intensifying the clinical symptoms of dry eye syndrome. [1]
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Fried Foods
Consuming fried foods containing excessive fat can interfere with the body’s utilization and metabolism of essential fatty acids, potentially indirectly leading to an unhealthy lipid layer of the eye’s tear film and causing dry eye syndrome.
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Processed Foods
Easily consuming high levels of sugar, salt, and oil may lead to poor blood circulation in the eye’s structure, damaging the lacrimal gland nerves and indirectly causing the occurrence of dry eye syndrome.
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