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Omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil supplements have been the rage recently, and many people opt to incorporate more of them into their diets and for good reason.
Omega-3 is not only an essential fat for our body, but studies suggest it can help to reduce dry eye symptoms.
At Spectrum Eye Care, we’re passionate about helping our patients access treatments and holistic care that can lead to improved health and wellness. Learn more about how we can help by booking an eye exam and reading the full blog below.
There are many treatment options available to treat dry eyes and omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to provide symptom relief. studies have looked at the effects that t omega-3 fatty acids have on dry eyes, and one noticeable benefit was the improvement of function in the meibomian glands. This gland plays a role in oil production in the eye, which directly impacts your tears and can help to reduce symptoms of dry eyes.
Nonetheless, speaking with your doctor before incorporating more omega-3 fatty acids or fish oil into your diet is important. If you’re interested in supplements to support your eye health, schedule an appointment with one of our doctors.
Omega-3s are a special type of fatty acid that the body needs but cannot produce on its own. Instead, the body can get these essential fats through food or supplements. Here are a few foods high in omega-3 fatty acid:
These essential fats play an important role in how our body produces hormones and regulates blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation. As a result, omega-3s have been proven to prevent serious conditions like strokes and heart disease.
Omega-3 supplements have grown in popularity and can be an effective way of getting essential nutrients. According to the NIH, omega-3 supplements can benefit things like rheumatoid arthritis and age-related macular degeneration with minimal side effects.
If you want to try omega-3s for dry eyes, it should be noted that the supplements you buy off the shelf may not produce the results that you want. Incorporating more fish and leafy vegetables, paired with your optometrist’s recommendations, is typically the best combination.
Dry eye disease is a common condition in which your eyes do not produce enough or produce low-quality tears that evaporate too quickly. The surface of your eye is covered in a thin film that helps to keep the eye lubricated. In some cases, the film can dry, exposing the nerves of the cornea and leading to irritation when blinking.
Dry eyes can occur for various reasons, and many Canadians may experience it at one point in their life. Here are a few common reasons you might have dry eyes:
Dry eye signs can appear in many different ways, and it is best to seek professional advice if you have any issues with your vision and eyes. Here are a few of the more common symptoms experienced:
If you’re experiencing dry eye symptoms, contact your eye care provider to learn about your options for treatment.
Many treatment options exist to help reduce dry eye symptoms and lead to healthier eyes. Here are several treatment options available:
Artificial tears are over-the-counter eye drops that can lubricate your eyes and may help reduce irritation felt from dry eye symptoms.
Sometimes lifestyle changes like drinking more water, avoiding smoky areas, and using a humidifier can help to reduce the risk of dry eye or the symptoms that come with it.
In more serious cases, your doctor may recommend prescription medications or eye drops to help combat the condition.
The TempSure Envi technology uses therapeutic heat applied to the eyelids to unclog the meibomian glands. This treatment allows the meibomian glands to function more effectively and produce better quality oils that in turn keeps the eyes lubricated. Get Support from a Trusted Team
If you are experiencing any eye-related symptoms or want to learn more about our treatment options, visit us at Spectrum Eye Care. Our team can work with you to develop a treatment plan to help you find lasting relief.
Astigmatism (“Ah-stig-mah-tism”) is a common eye condition that affects people’s vision. It is a refractive error that results in a distorted image because of an irregular shape of the cornea or lens. This causes light rays to focus on multiple points on the retina, leading to blurred or misshaped vision. If you notice things like blurry vision, headaches, eye strain, or distorted lights at night, you may have astigmatism.
The cause of astigmatism is not fully understood, but the largest factor is related to genetics. There is a good chance that if you have astigmatism, someone in your family also has it too. Significant eye rubbing can also increase your risk. Astigmatism can also develop after an injury to the eye, surgery, or due to certain medical conditions, such as keratoconus. Astigmatism can affect people of all ages, and it often occurs alongside other refractive errors such as nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia).
Astigmatism can be treated in several ways depending on the severity of the condition. The most common treatment is corrective lenses, such as eyeglasses or contact lenses, which are specifically prescribed by your optometrist to compensate for the irregular shape of the cornea or lens. The lenses are curved in different directions to help focus light properly on the retina. The corrective lenses can also correct other refractive errors such as nearsightedness and farsightedness. Patients with astigmatism can also be candidates for refractive surgery, such as LASIK or PRK. These procedures use a laser to reshape the cornea, correcting the irregular curvature and improving vision.
Astigmatism can be diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam, which includes a visual acuity test, a refraction test, and a keratometry test to measure the curvature of the cornea. Consult with your optometrist to determine if astigmatism is the cause of your eye concerns and they will happily review all possible options to help with the condition. The best treatment option will depend on the severity of the condition and the patient’s individual needs and preferences.
A routine physical at your doctor’s office checks your physical health. Similarly, eye exams by your eye doctor assess your eye health and ensure you have the correct prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Eye exams can detect a wide range of vision problems and eye diseases, some of which may have no obvious symptoms. Scheduling time for eye health examinations in Stoney Creek is as essential as physical examinations. But how long does an eye exam take?
An eye exam can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more, depending on the type of exam and tests performed.
Eye exams can detect common eye conditions and diseases in their early stages to help prevent them from worsening and protect your vision. These can include refractive errors and other conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
Your eye doctor will also check for signs of health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol that can affect your eyes.
A comprehensive adult and senior eye exam can include various tests based on an individual’s history, symptoms, and risk of developing eye diseases:
Your eye doctor may conduct additional testing based on your results or discuss a treatment plan for vision problems.
Typically your eye doctor will discuss your health, medical history, lifestyle, and preferences before your eye exam. You don’t need to prepare for an eye exam, but here are some points to remember:
The optometrists at Spectrum Eye Care are happy to answer any questions or concerns when you book your upcoming eye exam.
Do you notice eye dryness, irritation, and discomfort, either when you’re indoors or outdoors? These symptoms may be from multiple factors affecting your eye’s ability to produce tears or an eye condition called dry eye.
When you visit your eye doctor for an eye exam, depending on the cause, they will determine a treatment plan based on your individual needs. Let’s talk about everything related to dry eye.
Dry eye is a condition in which the eyes do not produce enough tears or tears evaporate too quickly because of an imbalance in the tear film, which has 3 layers:
Without sufficient tears or quality tears, the eyes don’t receive enough lubrication or moisture, leading to dryness, irritation, and sometimes complications.
Symptoms of dry eye can be mild or severe and can include the following:
Multiple causes of dry eye can affect the production of tears or increase the evaporation of tears. These include:
During an eye exam, your eye doctor can diagnose meibomian gland dysfunction using Meibox imaging technology. It can capture high-definition images of the tiny oil-producing glands in your eyelids using infrared light. Early detection of the underlying cause of dry eyes allows for prompt treatment and relief of symptoms.
Based on the severity of your dry eye, your eye doctor can recommend one or more therapies to relieve dry eye symptoms and treat the underlying cause. Common treatments for dry eye can include:
Over-the-counter preservative artificial tears can provide temporary relief of dry eye symptoms. They come in various forms, such as drops and ointments.
If over-the-counter artificial tears don’t provide enough relief, prescription medication with ingredients such as cyclosporine (Restasis) or lifitegrast (Xiidra) helps to increase tear production.
For mild cases of MGD, a specialized iMED microbead heat mask, compared to a warm compress, can deliver heat more evenly and effectively to unblock the oil-producing glands in the eyelids and improve tear production.
Changes in lifestyle to protect your eyes and prevent dry eyes can include:
Omega-3 oil supplementation is beneficial in reducing dry eye symptoms. Speak to your eye doctor first before taking any supplements,
Radiofrequency or heat technology can treat all stages of MGD. The Tempsure envi is a non-invasive treatment therapy that can deliver gentle heat much deeper to unclog meibomian glands by melting the clogged oils.
For maximum benefits and more relief, 3 treatment sessions are recommended, with sessions taking about 15 minutes per eye. In severe cases of dry eyes caused by MGD, you can control symptoms by having annual maintenance sessions.
You don’t have to live with the discomfort of dry eyes. When you consult the eye doctors at Spectrum Eye Care, we can diagnose the cause of your dry eyes and provide options for relief.
Sometimes, a combination of treatments may be necessary to manage your dry eye symptoms. Don’t let itchy, dry, irritated eyes come between you and life. Schedule an appointment today.
Have you started to increase the font size on your screens? Or are you catching yourself pushing reading material further from you to see better? You may also be noticing your eyes feel tired and strained by the end of the work day.
These are common signs of something called presbyopia. Presbyopia is not an eye disease, but a natural part of the eye’s aging process. When we are young, the internal lens of the eye which sits just behind the coloured iris is able to flex and change shape. This flexibility allows the eye to switch focus from far to near, in a process called “accommodation”. As time passes the lens naturally becomes more rigid and reading ability is progressively lost. Although presbyopia starts becoming symptomatic around the age of 40, the process can start even earlier.
Presbyopia is a refractive status that requires correction to alleviate. It is not a muscle weakness or condition that eye exercises or training can prevent. An optometrist will most commonly prescribe reading glasses, progressive addition lenses, bifocals, and contact lenses, or can even recommend surgical options. Researchers are also working on eye drops which restore some of the focusing ability of the lens. Reading correction is not a “one size fits all” solution. Although your optometrist may also suggest improvements to your reading conditions, there are many customizable nuances to the above options that can maximize ease of use and adaptation time.
The correct strength of the prescription should always be determined through a comprehensive eye exam. Although everyone experiences presbyopia, it is important to determine if there are any other refractive statuses, binocular function issues, or ocular health problems that may compromise reading ability. In an increasingly digital world, it is tempting to normalize discomfort after periods of near work. At Spectrum Eye Care, your optometrist will take the time to ask the right questions, thoroughly examine the eyes, and prescribe the best possible solution for your lifestyle.