Supplements to Take for Dry Eye

Did you know that you cry constantly? You may not have tears running down your face, but your tear ducts are still at work, creating moisture for your eyes. If you're eyes are constantly dry and itchy, you may have what is known as dry eye syndrome, otherwise called keratitis sicca. There are several supplements that can help with the condition.

Omega-3

• Omega-3 fatty acids are commonly found in foods such as salmon, sardines and flaxseed oil can decrease inflammation in the lacrimal and meibomian glands and the eye surface. Results can take up to three months, and as a supplement you need approximately 1,000 milligrams of omega-3 per day, which you can find in flaxseed oil and fish oil supplements.

Vitamin A

• In rare cases, mostly in developing countries where undernourishment is a problem, a lack of vitamin A can contribute to dry eye. Vitamin A is vital for the health of our skin, teeth and vision. A deficiency can cause the tear ducts to produce few tears, which means you have less of a moisture film over your eyes. A supplement that offers around 900 milligrams of vitamin a per day should be sufficient.

Sea Buckthorn Oil

• Sea buckthorn oil sounds like something you would shoot out of a muzzleloader but it's actually being looked at as a possible supplement for dry eye. In an ongoing clinical study by the University of Turku in Finland, 80 participants are given sea buckthorn berry oil once a day for three months and tested against a placebo group. The results will be tabulated at the end of the study.

BioTears

• BioTears is an oral supplement designed to activate the three essential layers of the film over the eye--the watery, mucous and oily layers. BioTears can be found in a multiple vitamin that is formulated for eye health called Macula Complete.