Does your caffeine intake or sugar (sucrose) intake affect your dry eye

[Warren]

Hi all: One of my Chinese medicine doctors told me to stop consuming caffeine and sugar (including sugary foods like cake, cookies, pie, jelly, etc.) because they will increase the inflammation that may be the cause of my aqueous deficiency. Has any one else found this to be true? Drinking caffeinated beverages and eating sweets makes me feel better and better able to handle the irritation to goes with dry eye, but maybe if I stopped using them the dry eye would feel equally good. Does anyone have any opinions or experience on this?

Thank you.

Warren

[BigNate]

Taking a daily vitamin helps me a lot, which tells me that consuming vitamins/nutrients noticeably help. I have even noticed a slight improvement when I eat salad. Now as for eliminating sugar, I think they support for that theory is that sugar isn't good for you in general. I have read the same thing too about inflammation. Also, I have experimented with it and haven't noticed too much from completely eliminating it.

There have been studies for caffeine which contradict each other. There are some people who say it actually helps, but most people say no. Again, no really solid support.

I say this often, but I am hoping someone gets the relief I did-- take a multivitamin and a probiotic. I found some help doing that!

[Guest]

Hi Warren,

There is so much that modern science still doesn't understand about how our bodies react to what we eat. My opinion is that if you've tried the mainstream treatments and they haven't given you adequate relief, then why not try what he recommends?

As for sugar, we do know that sugar is bad for us... so it seems plausible that cutting it out completely could produce noticeable benefits for some of us.

However, if you try his dietary recommendations, I'd go hard-core 100% perfect with it for a few weeks minimum... no sense doing it halfway or you won't know for sure if it helps or not. Not much to lose by trying, and maybe you'll be helped by it... I say go for it!

But before you start, be strategic and do some menu planning in advance... there are lots of super delicious options that are 100% healthy for you... they just take a bit more time than the usual convenience foods that we all love so much. If you plan your meals, it makes it easier to fit in the grocery shopping etc. so you have lots of "allowed" foods in your house and will be less tempted to cheat on your diet if hunger strikes.

[FizzyFi]

That's interesting. Do you know how probiotics and vitamins actually help? I am struggling at the moment as the eye drops I was prescribed caused me a problem as they are plant based and I am coeliac and also very intolerant to wheat and the other drops I have found only work for a limited time.

[LaDiva]

Hi Warren,
Sugar bothers me (inflammation), and I quit drinking coffee just because. Try Stevia as a substitute for sugar. Aspartame and all of that other stuff is not good for us either. Not sure about agave. I've heard mixed reviews. The general rule of thumb is not to eat anything white, but then there are Asian pears, and they go down very well! Decaf green tea and Pao de Arco are helpful for inflammation. Good luck Warren!

[bakunin]

I didn't drink coffe neither had sugar at home, even before I had dry eyes. So, I don't know.

[spmcc]

I've been told that the top three inflammatory foods are

Sugar
Salt
Trans fats

But I'm not sure if cutting out one, two, or all of them would reduce inflammation in our eyes.

BTW If you watch the Korb video posted recently, Korb says that inflammation is a sequela (consequence) of the dry eye process, not a cause!

Korb video: http://dryeyephiladelphia.com/portfo...d-dysfunction/

[MartyM1985]

Caffeine can act as a diuretic depending on your body and how much you take in.

So, if you are trying to stay hydrated as to encourage tear production, drinking a lot of caffeine may end up dehydrating you instead.

[FizzyFi]

Blood pressure medication and dehydration

Reading the posts on this thread a light has just gone on in my head! (All this talk of dehydration and diuretics.) I take a blood pressure tablet called Bendroflumethiazide, which is a diuretic, so even though I've been told my condition is caused by my thyroid, I now believe that the blood pressure tablet is not helping the condition at all. Does anyone else have blood pressure and what do they take for it? I should add that I also take another blood pressure tablet called Losartan which works along side the other one.

[Guest]

Does anyone else have blood pressure and what do they take for it? I should add that I also take another blood pressure tablet called Losartan which works along side the other one.

There are tons of different meds out there for blood pressure, and most shouldn't worsen dry eye. So, if the med you are on seems to be worsening your dryness, or you are wondering if it caused it in the first place etc, then talk to your doctor and ask if you can experiment by trying a different med for a while and seeing if your eyes feel any better on it.

[FizzyFi]

Blood pressure meds

There are tons of different meds out there for blood pressure, and most shouldn't worsen dry eye. So, if the med you are on seems to be worsening your dryness, or you are wondering if it caused it in the first place etc, then talk to your doctor and ask if you can experiment by trying a different med for a while and seeing if your eyes feel any better on it.

I must be one of the unlucky ones that has bp medication which dehydrates. I am going for my diabetes checks next month, so I will mention it when I see the doctor afterwards.

[Warren]

Thanks for the information. I just viewed the Korb video! Everyone with dry eye ought to see it.

Warren