This is nothing to cry about . . .

But you can't look your best without healthy eyes.

And healthy eyes must gleem and glisten with a generous amount of moisture.

Not moisture from crying, of course - but the fluid your eyes need to maintain healthy, beautiful eyes.

When your eyes are dry, they make you appear older than your actual age - just like dry skin does.

Besides, not only do dry eyes make you look "old" and cause irritation, dry eye syndrome can cause permanent damage to your eyes.

That's worth crying about.

And dry eye syndrome affects up to 50 million Americans - costing our economy $55.4 billion dollars. This includes not only treatment costs, but also the expense of lower on-the-job productivity.

Yes, Staring at Screens All Day is a Major Cause

That computer, tablet, smartphone, or laptop screen brings you the world, but we'd all be better off if we spent less time staring at something right in front of us.

Risk Factors for Dry Eye Syndrome

* Computer use

* Age

* Wearing contact lenses

* Female sex

* Hormone Replacement Therapy

* Asian race

* Androgen deficiency

* Environmental stressors in the air: low humidity (often produced by air conditioners), pollution, and sick building syndrome

* Medications, including antihistamines, anxiolytics, isotretinoin, estrogens, and antidepressants 

* Other compounds, including kava, niacin, and echinacea

* Hormonal changes

* Meibomian Gland Dysfunction - a condition where the oil glands in your eyes stop working. 

This causes tears or moisture in your eyes to evaporate too quickly, so your eyes have blurred vision, or they're sore or uncomfortable.

* LASIK surgery

* Cataract surgery

* Consumption of excess alcohol, salt, sucrose, protein, cholesterol and fat

Symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome:

* Your eyes feel as though something is in them

* Stinging, burning or scratching sensation in eyes

* Sensitivity to light

* Filmy vision

* Red eyes

* Tired eyes

* Gritty, sandy eyes

* Problems wearing contact lenses

* Inflamed eyelids

Your Eyes' Tear Film has Three Layers

Your cornea needs tears to be lubricated and protected. They also protect your eye from infection, deliver nutrients to the cells on the surface of your eye and wash away foreign particles.

In dry eye syndrome, either your eyes produce too little tear fluid - or it's poor quality.

The Three Layers of Tears

1. Oily - outermost layer. Consists of oil from the Meibomian glands

2. Watery - middle layer. Fluid from the lacrimal gland

3. Mucous - inner layer. Consists of mucous from the conjunctival goblet cells

Of Course - Medicines are Available

8.5 million Americans buy artificial tears - costing $300 million per year. These help in the short run. Obviously, they don't get rid of the cause, but if your eyes are tired after a long day of working online, they can ease the irritation so you can sleep.

However, drugstore treatments, while wet, aren't "real" tears. They don't have the three layers (oily, watery and mucous). It's impossible for pharmaceutical companies to replicate the complex structure of real tears.

However, that's what you need. Your conjunctiva is the thin layer of tissue lining the eye. Your cornea and your conjunctiva need real, not fake, tears. 

That means your cornea and conjunctiva require tears with the three layers.

Doctors can write you a prescription for pharmaceutical eye drops, but they're expensive, and come with side effects: including stinging, burning, redness and itching. What good's a wonder medicine where the side effects are the same as the medical problem it's supposed to be treating?

Doctors can also surgically plug up your out-going tear ducts, to keep moisture on and around your eye - but these operations come with complications and risks.

This can include the plugs getting into other parts of your face, requiring surgical removal.

Watch the Lifestyle Factors

Despite - or because of - the problem's simplicity and widespread nature, there's no direct treatment.

These days, it's hard to tell someone to cut back on screen time. Most of us rely on computers to make a living.

Do give your eyes the healthy rest and restoration they need by sleeping 7 to 9 hours every night.

Examine any prescription medicine you're on, to see if any of them cause dry eyes.

Also, increase the humidity and freshness of the air you breathe. Remember, your eyes are directly exposed to it.

Check the humidity in your home and workplace. If it's dry, raise it to between 30% to 50%.

Drink More Water

This seems obvious, but when you're dehydrated, both your urine and your tear fluid become more concentrated.

Research confirmed patients with dry eye syndrome are less hydrated than average.

Therefore, the study authors suggest men drink 10 cups of water per day and women drink 8.

This has yet to be confirmed by an official study, but it's too common sense not to mention. 

If you're one of the many people already convinced by the medical establishment to sip on a bottle of water (though I know many of you drink soda instead) all day long, there's an easier alternative.

Eat a lot more plant foods. They contain a lot of water that counts toward your daily consumption.

Also, your eyes need the minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables, especially green leaves.

Maqui Berry Extract

This actually encourages your body to produce more of what your eyes need: real - not over-the-counter - tears.

Maqui is a fruit native to Chile and Argentina. 

Research has shown these berries contain the anthocyanidin pigment delphinidins. These protect your eyes by reducing free radicals. They also help restore your body's natural production of high-quality tears.

In one study, patients had a 72% improvement in dry eye symptoms after just two months.

In a clinical trial, maqui berry extract boosted tear production by 89% - in just four weeks.

Patients in that study took a maqui berry extract of 60 mg per day.

Blueberries and blackberries are also good sources of delphinidins.

To sum it all up: when your eyes produce plenty of tear fluid, you don't have anything to cry about.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21233774/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5575226/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2023718/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22952120/

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-dry-eye-disease-with-diet-just-add-water/

https://www.lennox.com/lennox-life/comfort-matters/getting-comfortable/three-signs-your-home-has-poor-indoor-humidity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcMSKL1usgI

https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2022/3/dry-eye-relief

https://dryeyedirectory.com/dry-eye-statistics/