Dr. Michael Lange has used a natural approach for treating dry eye patients since 1992 with great success at the 9 Lange Eye care Centers in Florida. If the 13 steps are followed that are outlined below many dry eye patients will improve and become healthier as a result.
1. Follow an Organic , Paleo Gluten free diet. This is an anti inflammatory diet that will help dry eye conditions. Adjustment in diet is crucial for overall good health and especially good for patients with dry eye syndrome.
2. Take Fortifeye Super Omega 2 times a day if under 240 lbs and 3-4 times a day if over 240 lbs. Triglyceride form omega three when used continuously in the right dosage is very effective at helping to decrease dry eye symptoms. This form of omega three helps to reduce inflammation in the meibomian glands and allow for a healthier secretion of the outer lipid layer of the tear film. Fortifeye Super Omega is being used by 1000s of patients for dry eyes.
3. Drink half your body weight in ounces of spring water or good well water. Do not drink reverse osmosis or distilled water due to high acidity and low mineral content. However you can make your distilled or reverse osmosis water good by chopping up a few lemons into a quart of water in a glass container and then add a tbs of pink sea salt, Drink 2 glasses of coconut water a day, Coconut water hydrates well and is a good source of potassium. If You are potassium deficient then dry eye gets worse. Do not drink sodas or diet sodas. Sodas are empty calories containing 100% calories in sugar! Just one small 12 0z soda has 40 grams of sugar!! This will add to dry eye symptoms. It is actually beneficial to drink one cup of organic coffee for dry eyes. However more than one cup acts like a diuretic. If you drink more than one cup of coffee then you must increase your water content by 3 cups of good water per every cup of coffee over one.
4. Take one Fortifeye Focus gel cap. The Astaxanthin in Fotifeye Focus acts as a potent anti-inflammatory and the root cause of dry eyes is inflammation! Astaxanthin also helps to eliminate dry,tired eye symptoms. Astaxanthin is an amazing nutrient that has multiple ocular and overall health benefits.
5. Take Fortifeye Complete Once Daily if weight is 160 or less, Take Fortifeye Complete Plus if weight is between 160-240, Take Fortifeye Complete macular Defense if weight is over 240 lbs. This regiment of supplements will insure you do not have a nutritional deficiency and will help reduce inflammation.
6. Use Cinnamon and curcumin/ turmeric as spices on foods. These spices are super anti oxidants and also reduce inflammation.
7. Hot compresses 3 times a day for 10 minutes while massaging the lids. These compresses will help to clear the blocked meibomian glands that secrete the crucial outer lipid layer of the tear film. My favorite way to bring heat to the lids is the Bruder Mask! Bruder mask is similar to a sleep mask but has medibeads inside that u heat for 20 seconds in the microwave then just put the mask on and relax. The mask retains the heat for ten minutes and isnt messy. The mask will last a year easily and retails for about $25.
8. Use Oasis tears or Blink Preservative free in alternation with Retaine lubricating eye drops four to eight times a day depending on severity. This combination has been found to work best clinically ,the combination helps to replenish all three layers of the tear film. Oasis tears plus and Blink Preservative Free also contains hyluranic acid that acts as a natural mild anti-inflammatory.
9. Remember to blink plenty of times a day especially while working on the computer. Dry eye symptoms worsen when blink reflex is lessened.
10. Turn off ceiling fan while sleeping at night or wear a sleep mask. Wear good wrap sunglasses while in the wind and sun like oakley, costa del mar, wiley x or mau jim or something similar.
11. A nutrient that can be added to the extreme dry eye cases is GLA from black currant seed oil at 140-160 mg a day. This can stimulate Series 1 prostaglandins that is tear specific.
12. Proper lid hygiene is crucial for dry eye treatment. Scrub eye lashes well with a lid scrub foam (occusoft) 1-2 times a day, am and pm. Proper lid hygiene with lid scrubs will remove the bacterial, allergic and viral flora that tends to accumulate along the lid margins and clog the miebomian glands. If you have red, inflammed itchy eye lids that just want go away sometimes this could be related to a parasite called demodex. You will need diluted tea tree oil to the lids or a commercially available lid wipe called cliradex. Demodex can take 1-2 months to clear up with these wipes.
13. The final and most recent addition to Dr Langes Dry eye protocol is to consume a non denatured whey protein concentrate from grass fed New Zealand A2 cows. These are cows that are fed grass all year round and this gives the correct omega 3 to omega 6 ratio in this type of protein that helps to fight inflammation in the body and eyes. A non denatured whey protein concentrate is the best way to stimulate glutathione which is the “master antioxidant” in the body. Studies are now revealling patients with dry eye may be deficient in glutathione. Also dry eye patients may have a deficiency of lactoferrin in their tears. A non denatured grass fed whey protein concentrate is a great way to get more lactoferrin to the body and the eyes. Fortifeye Super Protein is one of the most advanced proteins that fills all of these requirements. Mix one scoop in a blender with your favorite fruits and vegetables along with milk or a juice and drink to your health. learn more about the immune boosting qualities of Fortifeye Super Protein at : www.newzealandwheyproteinconcentrate.com
Dr. Michael Lange Optometric Physician and nutrition specialist says to follow the advise of your optometrist or ophthalmologist when it comes to dry eye treatment. The information in the article is to be used as educational info and never replaces a comprehensive eye exam and dry eye workup. There are prescription medications and procedures that can be done to help alleviate dry eye as well. Dr. Michael Lange has been using proper nutrition and natural approaches to help his patients since 1992 with considerable success. Go to Dr. Langes pinterest site on dry eye to learn more http://pinterest.com/drmichaellange/
Any of the products discussed in the article can be purchased through Fortifeye Vitamins from the website http://www.fortifeye.com or call 866 503 9746