Michael Lange OD, CNS founder of Lange Eye Care and The Lange Eye Institute has been involved in the natural treatment of dry eyes and meibomian gland dysfunction for over 20 years with incredible success. Natural dry eye treatment works quite well if the steps are followed.
Natural treatment for dry eyes and meibomian gland dysfunction is a combination of proper lid hygiene, proper diet, good hydration, correct ratio of supplements and proper lubricants.
Blepharitis is a condition where the eye lids become inflamed and crusty secondarily to a host of pathogens. Meibomian gland dysfunction is when the meibomian glands along the lower and upper lid margins become blocked and inflammed. These conditions if not brought under control will lead to lid infections and dry eyes. The eye lids harbor lots of bacteria and parasites so it is crucial that the lids are clean. Dr. Lange recommends seeing your local optometrist or ophthalmologist to find out if you have blepharitis and if so what kind?? Most forms of blepharitis can be brought under control with a special lid scrub foam like ocusoft however some forms of blepharitis are related to a parasite called demodex. If demodex is in the lashes and the hair follicles then tea tree oil diluted solution will need to be used. Dr. Lange recommends use of a commercially available product called Cliradex to treat this type of demodex condition. The combination of lid scrubs with ocusoft then followed by a wipe of the Cliradex will get most forms of blepharitis under control within one month.
Michael Lange OD, CNS also states that adjustment in the typical American diet is crucial for dry eye patients. He recommends patients adapt an all organic, gluten free paleo diet. This is an anti inflammatory diet that helps the body detoxify. The typical American diet is pro inflammatory and is one of the reasons we have so much inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a root cause of dry eyes. Natural treatment of dry eyes starts with adjustment in the diet. Michael Lange OD sees many patients with meibomian gland dysfunction improve dramatically with just an improvement in diet.
Most Americans are dehydrated! Dehydration is also a major contributing factor to dry eyes. Michael Lange OD, CNS preaches on his syndicated radio show and to his patients to drink half your body weight in spring water. Drink spring water and not distilled water or reverse osmosis water. Spring water is high in minerals and relatively alkaline. Reverse osmosis and distilled water is acidic and mineral free. If a patient drinks a lot of distilled water or reverse osmosis water then due to the laws of osmosis the minerals in the body can be leached out causing mineral deficiency in the body. This can aggravate a dry eye condition. Dr Lange also recommends drinking 1-2 glasses of coconut water a day to gain some valuable minerals like magnesium and potassium. One cup of coffee a day may be beneficial for dry eyes however more than one cup becomes a diuretic. To counter effect the coffee one must drink three additional cups of water for every cup of coffee.
Nutritional supplements for dry eyes and clogged meibomian glands are becoming the gold standard because they work. Dr. Lange recommend a minimum of 1600 mg of triglyceride form omega 3 fish oil daily for anyone under 240lbs. If you are over 240 lbs then 3000-4000 mg of triglyceride form omega 3 fish oil is recommended. The addition of 6 mg of a super carotenoid called astaxanthin has a synergistic effect when taken with omega 3 fish oil. Astaxanthin is one of the most potent natural anti inflammatory/ antioxidant nutrients. Omega 3 in the triglyceride form helps the carotenoid astaxanthin absorb more efficiently. Astaxanthin helps to reduce eye strain , improve focusing ability of the eye and reduce eye fatigue associated with prolonged near point or computer work. Astaxanthin is helps to control oxidative stress and inflammation. The combination of 1600 mg of omega 3 and 6 mg of astaxanthin dramatically reduces dry and tired eye symptoms. Michael Lange OD, CNS is the formulator of two specific supplements he developed for Dry Tired eyes: Fortifeye Super Omega has 1600mg of TG form Omega 3 and Fortifeye Focus has 6mg of astaxanthin, 6mg of lutein and 400 mcg of zeaxanthin. Learn more at www.fortifeye.com . Astaxanthin also has some other great health benefits; blocks the harmful uv and blue light from the sun acting as a natural sun screen, minimizes fine lines and wrinkles in the face, improves choroidal circulation, lowers CRP and cholesterol, improves muscle endurance and muscle recovery and has a very high ORAC value so great at quenching free radicals. Wild Alaskan Salmon is a power food because it has both omega 3 in the triglyceride form and astaxanthin. The combination of Fortifeye Super Omega and Fortifeye Focus will help to reduce inflammation in the lid margins and the meibomian glands and improve the quality of the tear film that is secreted dramatically. This combination will help lower inflammation in the entire body too. Its maximum effect takes three to four months but many people notice significant improvement in two weeks. One last nutrient that has some benefit for dry eyes is GLA. However the ratio of GLA is crucial if its going to work. GLA is an omega 6 and if too much is taken it will increase inflammation in the body. GLA from black currant seed oil seems to work the best due to the fact that is has ALA (vegetable source of omega 3 ) as well as GLA. Dr. Lange has tried many different combinations of GLA and Omega 3 in extremely busy dry eye practices in Florida and has come to the conclusion that a ratio of close to 10-1 omega 3 to GLA is ideal natural treatment for dry eyes. For dry eye treatment he recommends 140-160mg of GLA to 1600 mg of omega 3. Michael Lange OD, CNS says the triple whammy for natural dry eye treatment is Fortifeye Super omega 2 -4 per day depending on weight, 1 Fortifeye Focus, and 140-160 mg of GLA from Black Currant seed oil.
The final part to natural treatment of dry eyes is to add a good artificial tear. Michael Lange OD, CNS likes to use preservative free lubricating eye drops if they are going to be used more than two times a day. Oasis tears , Oasis tears plus, Retaine and Blink Tears are three lubricating eye drops Dr Lange uses on most of his patients. He likes Blink Tears and Oasis because they both have a form of hyluranic acid in them that helps eliminate dry eye symptoms longer than most OTC artificial tears. Often times in very dry eyes related to meibomian gland dysfunction he will add Retaine MGD preservative free drops along with Oasis or Blink Tears to get broader coverage.
In summary , when a combination of proper lid hygiene, diet, hydration, correct supplements and good artificial tears are used most dry eye condition that are a result of blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction will start to improve. Patients with dry eyes have come from all over the country to The Lange Eye Institute in The Villages Florida to learn more about natural treatment for dry eyes. Learn more about Lange Eye Care at www.langeeyecare.com and learn more about all the products discussed in this article at www.fortifeye.com to order or get more information on Dry Eye Nutrition u can call 866 503 9746
another good site for Natural dry eye treatment is www.dryeyenutrition.org
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