How Patients with Dry Eyes can benefit from Flaxseed Oil

After any procedure performed at Optilase Laser Eye Clinic, patients will be told to ensure their eyes are kept well hydrated.

Whether you’ve had laser eye surgery or another procedure, it’s vital to maintain corneal health by ensuring your eyes are never allowed to dry out-something that people must pay attention to in the weeks following surgery to avoid complications or infection.

Clear up Dry Eyes - and Dry Skin

Dry eye treated orally with flaxseed oil has a high success rate, according to a 3-year follow-up of 200 patients in the U.S where 85% of patients had total relief from dry eye after their 2 month check, reporting that he stinging and burning of dry eyes disappeared after a few weeks of taking flaxseed oil orally.

An additional benefit was that symptoms or dry skin, like cracked cuticles; flaky elbows and soles and itchy backs were also alleviated.

The natural ‘tear film’ over the eye must be consistently stable for healthy eye function, and it’s even more important after a laser eye procedure so the cornea can heal promptly.

It is thought that meibomian gland dysfunction leads to oily layered tear defects, which permit aqueous layer evaporation and subsequent surface damage and symptoms.

What’s In Flaxseed Oil?

The major components of flaxseed oil are alpha-linoleic acid omega 3 (57%), linoleic acid omega 6 (15%) and oleic acid omega 9 (18%).

It’s the world’s richest source of omega 3 fatty acids; twice as much as fish oil and alpha-linoleic and linoleic acids are essential to our diet because our body cannot make them, yet we use them to make other fatty acids our body must have.

These are also important components of the stratum corneum for skin stability, as well as acting as precursors to prostaglandins, which affect inflammation and arteriole muscle tone.

Flaxseed oil causes hair and nails to grow more quickly, lowers triglycerides and makes platelets less sticky.

Flaxseed oil can also help patients on cholesterol-lowering drugs. The quality of the oil you chose is important, so go to a good health food shop. You can buy liquid oil and mix it in with yoghurt, or take it in capsule form.

For more information about all laser eye procedures and aftercare; call Optilase at +353 1 223 8821.