Can flaxseed oil help? (Posted: apr 2003)

Flaxseed oil comes in capsules and liquid form. I don’t know why you would bother with the liquid, which you have to bury in something because of the taste, but apparently some people do. — The capsules have to be refrigerated after you’ve opened the bottle, we’re told.

Now, you probably won’t come across any scientific studies about it, but we know gobs of people who take it for dry eye. I know some who did not feel it made any difference whatever, and many for whom it makes a noticeable difference. One or two have even told me they think it’s practically interchangeable with doxycycline in terms of keeping their meibomian glands working properly.

The usual dosage is 6,000-12,000 mg per day, taken with meals. Flaxseed oil is an essential oil so well worth giving it a try as it can't hurt. Go for the organic version if possible.

What about vitamins A, B6, B12, C and potassium (posted: apr 2003)

Unfortunately I can’t give any particular guidance about dry eye patients’ experience with these because I really haven’t been paying attention, but I have seen them talked about enough that I thought I ought to mention them.

Vitamin A is supposed to be important in the mucin layer (sticky stuff) which makes tears stick to your eyes. Vitamin A drops may therefore be able to boost the mucin layer’s effectiveness. If you have a thyroid condition, however, don’t rush into this, talk it all through with your doctor.

Vitamin B6 supposedly helps in the proper absorption of magnesium, which in turn, aids the body in producing prostaglandin E-7, which is supposedly necessary for tear production.

Vitamin B12, I can’t remember, but somebody somewhere thinks it has to do with dry eyes!

Vitamin C is found in higher concentrations in the tear film than that found in the blood, therefore, maybe having more of it would help.

Potassium is, I am told, usually very low in dry eye patients. (Not that that necessarily means it’s got anything to do with dry eyes as this may be purely coincidence, but somebody somewhere thinks it matters.) This is usually found in conjunction with low consumption of folic acid, vitamins C and B6, and high consumption of sugar. Someone has suggested increasing your potassium intake to at least 500mg/day by consuming more fruits and vegetables. Hey, a single banana is 400mg, so it’s not that hard.

Are there any supplement products formulated specifically for dry eye patients? (posted apr 2003)

HydroEye: This was a heavily hyped product in the US and I’m not quite sure whether it is available here, but frankly, we don’t know anybody who claimed to have benefited so it probably doesn’t matter.

Theratears Nutrition: This is new and is not in the UK yet but we understand it is coming. We don’t know anyone in the US who has used it yet, but other Theratears products have had relatively wide acceptance amongst the dry eye community so we have some hopes of it. Two softgels of Theratears Nutrition contain: Vitamin E 100 IU; Organic Flaxseed Oil 500 mg; EPA (from Fish Oil) 225 mg; DHA (from Fish Oil) 50 mg. Mmm, very fishy.

Hydrate Essential is another one I ran across which contains flaxseed oil and evening primrose oil.

Basically, if you’re motivated to get stuff separately, you probably won’t bother with any of these, but it’s nice to know that the pharmaceuticals are so interested in the dry eye community’s cash that they are targeting products at us, and if you’re lazy like me you might actually find it more convenient to buy one, which is I’m sure what they are counting on.