GREGG BRADEN GREGG BRADEN - Earthstar

By Rosemary Gaddum GordonD.B.O., M.A.VI S I O N T I P SDRY EYES ARE UNHAPPY EYESThe range of discomfort from dry eyes cango from mild to extreme. The eyes can beburning and red, or gritty like they are fullof sand, or they may over-water, so tearsare constantly flowing down the cheeks.The causes are numerous, from lack of blinking, poornutrition and allergies, to drug side effects, hormonalimbalance and auto-immune disease.Tears are necessary for the health of the cornea, the frontsurface of the eye. They lubricate, nourish and clean it.Our tears are not just salty water, they consist of threelayers. The outermost surface is a fatty layer that preventsthe moisturefrom evaporating. Itis secreted by glandson the back of theeyelids. Then there isthe salty, watery layerthat comes from agland behind theouter brow. The layernext to the cornea is amucous layer thatallows it to be “wetted.”If there is aproblem with any of these components we get dry eyes.If you have dry eyes, no matter what your diagnosis—and it is advisable to get one—you might consider someof the following suggestions:Increased Blinking: Some people don’t blink enough.The ducts that bring the watery layer to the eye need theaction of the blink in order to transport the fluid. Asksomeone to count how many times you blink in a minutewhile you read, watch TV, work on the computer or justhave a conversation. If it is less than twelve times, experimentwith increasing your blinks. If your eyes feel drybecause you haven’t blinked for a while, try Big FatSqueezes to generate some moisture. (If you wear contactlenses, wait until you remove them.) Bring yourcheeks up towards your brows for two seconds then relaxthem and open your eyes up really wide for two seconds.Do this about five times and notice if you have moremoisture in your eyes. If you don’t, repeat the five times.If this doesn’t produce more tears, check with your doctor.Eye drops can be both soothing and therapeutic. Be sureto get the ones without preservatives and avoid the kindthat promise “to get the red out”. The latter reduce thecirculation to the front of the eye and over time, make theeyes drier.Diet and supplements: These can also make a big difference.Sugar, alcohol and caffeine tend to dry the eyes.Essential fatty acids(EFAs) such asevening primrose oil,flaxseed oil and coldwaterfish oils areneeded for the productionof the fattyouter and the waterysecond layers of thetears. Vitamins A andC are vital for thehealth of the mucouslayer. Being wellhydrated is also vital. Someone who had suffered withdry, red eyes for years in spite of blinking, emailed me aninteresting recipe which is working well for her. Sheadds one teaspoon of “high quality” sea salt per quart offiltered water. She drinks six, eight ounce glasses of itwarm every day, especially on rising, and she takes atablespoon of flaxseed oil daily. She now experiencesless redness and irritation with an increase of tear flow.She’s delighted.There is much information online about dry eyes. Don’tlet your eyes remain so unhappy, do something to helpthem feel better.Rosemary Gaddum-Gordon, D.B.O., M.A., Holistic VisionImprovement, Cambridge, MA: (617) 354-8360, and Eliot,ME: (207) 439-9821, www.visioneducators.com.40 EARTH STAR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008www.earthstarmag.com