Bright ideas for dry eyes: red, tired, dry eyes can make anyone want to cry. Find soothing relief with natural eye drops and a simple diet change

Better Nutrition, Oct, 2006 by Anna Soref

If you find yourself squinting or blinking constantly from dry eyes, don't worry--you're not alone. A whopping 20 million Americans suffer from chronic dry eyes. In fact, just about everybody reaches for eye drops occasionally for relief. And if you avoid brands containing harsh chemicals, eye drops can be a safe and effective tool to soothe irritated peepers.

"People who use redness-reducing eye drops a lot are pouring immense amounts of chemicals into their eyes, actually causing irritation," says Marguerite McDonald, MD, FACS, clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tulane University Hospital & Clinic in New Orleans and cornea/refractive surgery specialist, the Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island in New York. And these chemicals do more than irritate your eyes. "Once eye drops have coated the eyeball, they are reabsorbed into the body, so any chemicals in the drops contribute to the body's chemical load," says Keri Marshall, ND.

Steer Clear of Chemicals

Conventional eye drops claiming to whiten eyes contain vasoconstrictors that reduce the blood supply to the eye, thereby reducing redness. Not only are vasoconstrictors not so great for your eyes, they can be addictive as well. "You can actually get hooked on them so that you need more and more just to get results," McDonald says.

Opting for nonwhitening eye drops, though, won't get you in the chemical dear. Most mainstream brands contain preservatives for a longer shelf life, and these synthetic chemicals can irritate the eyes of some moderate to severe dry eye sufferers, especially when used frequently, McDonald says.

Natural eye drops soothe red eyes with a sterile saline solution combined with fast-acting homeopathic medicine. "Homeopathic eye drops provide immediate relief without the use of chemicals and their accompanying side effects, making them ideal for children and people with sensitive eyes," says Ronald Boyer, MD, president of the Center for the Education and Development of Clinical Homeopathy.

So go ahead and make the switch to natural eye drops and enjoy relief without the worry.

PRIMAVU HOMEOPATHIC HERBAL EYE DROPS contain chamomile and eyebright to revive and moisturize tired, dry eyes.

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SIMILASAN DRY EYE RELIEF EYE DROPS are a homeopathic formula designed to soothe and moisturize dry, red eyes.

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BOIRON OPTIQUE 1 HOMEOPATHIC EYE DROPS are preservative-free single-use drops ideal for sensitive eyes.

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The Fat on Dry Eyes

What's missing on your dinner plate may be the culprit behind your dry, red eyes. "Because the typical American diet is low in omega-3 fatty acids, many Americans suffer from dry eyes," says ophthalmologist Marguerite McDonald, MD. "Oil is a normal part of tears, and without enough oil in the tears, they evaporate too quickly," she says.

To moisturize your eyes from the inside out, try increasing your omega-3 intake. "The best way to get omega-3s into your diet is with fish oils that have been distilled to remove any heavy metals," says Keri Marshall, ND. Environmental factors can also cause dry eyes, according to McDonald. "Even the slightest breeze can lead to dry eyes," she says. McDonald suggests wearing sunglasses outside to protect the eyes from wind and sun and avoid sitting in the draft of a heater or ceiling fan.