is omega3 really working for u?

[Mika]

elo
just wana ask if taking omega3 really working for u?
coz i dont really fink it is working for me....
science says ti preven dryeye but we dont kno if its cures dry eye..prevention and cure is not the same...

i have noticed a small diminishing of redness after taking doxycycline....but it doesn't last for a longtime (for e.g taking it in the morning, in the evening my eye rebecome as red as before)...

i have started to mix my ointment usage wit artificial tears and i fink it is working.....if i can say......my eye is a bit less irritating after (before) long hours of ointment only....
but as I said before, ointment is "good" for me coz it mixes the white horible discharge and make it disapear for a while (doxycycline doesnt make it disapear alas!) and here in mauritius we dont have any eye gel...

and yeah using the just receive wiley ink model i feel more comfortable now in hypermarket or aircon cars etc

[kakinda]

omega3 never worked for me either...
so you're not the only one.
I guess it wouln't change much for me since i eat really healthly.
take care
k

[AccutaneJay]

I can't say that n3 fatty acid intake has produced any direct, noticeable improvement in my dry eye, but I can say that regardless, I am completely convinced that n3 fatty acid intake is incredibly important for human health, not just from an eye perspective. DHA (one of the n3 fatty acids in fish/cod-liver oil) is one of the most abundant fats in the human brain (which is 70% fat). Aside from the brain, I believe DHA is found in the next highest concentrations in the retina and in male sperm.

Even if I didn't have dry eye, I would still be taking the (at least) 2 teaspoons of high-vitamin cod liver oil daily that I do now. After all of my research into fish/cod liver oil, I really wish my mother fed it to me as a baby/child/teenager. And now that I suffer with dry eye, I think it is even more reason to take it, regardless of whether it provides any tangible relief in symptoms. I believe that my problem is either due to atrophic MGD or hormonal in nature, so with that said, I think that if my glands were not blunted or my hormones were in correct amount/balance, the oils would be doing the trick and keeping my eyes nice and moist, but because the delivery vehicles (glands) are not functioning properly and providing the proper amount/quality of oil, the supply of oil is sort of secodnary. I dunno - I'm blabbing - sorry.

In other words, keep on with it, if anything, your body will benefit from the oil regardless of whether it is curing your dry eye or not.

Take care! Sincerely,

[YGB]

I agree with Jay. The benefit of fish oil/omega 3 can certainly help dry eye (even many "modern age" Ophthalmologists recommend this). Even if it doesn't help your dry eye much, it can do your body good. I like those risk/benefit odds.

Also, while I can be cynical when I read stuff from vitamin manufacturers, I do agree with them when they say it can take several months before seeing results from new vitamin intake. It's not like the vitamin goes straight from your mouth to all of the "needed" zones on day one. It needs to establish itself in your body/bloodstream and this can take a while.

I am by no means an expert, but thus far what I have learned about dry eye shows me that even when progress is made, it is almost always in slow increments. Sometimes it can be so slow, that I have to remind myself of how I felt the previous month to remember that I am improving. Why am I improving, albeit slowly? I don't know. I am doing a lot of different things as noted in previous posts. Have I improved so much that I feel close to normal? No way. However, while it is against my nature, I am trying my hardest to be the tortoise and not the hare in this world of dry eye. Trying to be a hare (a big, fast rabbit like creature ) will likely just frustrate DES sufferers in the quest for dry eye relief.

Some things deserve quick changes if they are not working well (ex. an eyedrop irritates your eyes a lot, then stop using it). Other things have little to no downside and good upside potential (ex. fish oil/omega 3, good diet, proper water intake, panoptyx/wiley, compresses, humidifiers). Then there are other things with some risk, but also potential reward and some of these things also take a good amount of time to see if they are helping (ex. doxy, restasis).

Patience and careful thought/planning in developing your tailored DES strategy is key. I am not there yet by any means and don't mean to sound preachy, just offering my 2 nickels. Best. YGB

[cristinalatina]

My personal experience is yes, yes, yes they do help a lot. I quit taking them for some weeks without changing the rest of my routine, and my eyes got noticeably drier. I haven't stopped taking them ever since. And, as Jay pointed out, they're really good for you for your general health.

[calli66]

Can't say if it's connected with omega 3-6-9 oils that I take, but my blood pressure is significantly lower since I started. I haven't noticed directly that they help my dry eyes.
C66

[laine]

Omega fats

My eye doctor and my new g.p (specializing in natural hormones and supplements) recommended that I only take omega 3 and to stop with the omega 3,6,9 combination. Apparantly we get more than enough 6 and 9 in our diets and not enough of the 3.
My lid inflammation seems to slightly improved since I started using my clickable reusable heat packs (hand warmers!). I have been able to cut back on my salagen since using them.

[AccutaneJay]

I agree with your doctor(s) laine. I do not believe that extra n6 or n9 EFA supplementation is really necessary, except for n6 GLA, which I get from about 1 gram of borage oil (what I believe is one of the best sources) daily. Although n3 EFAs are very important, we still need n6 fatty acids in our diet. Biosyntrx's BioTears contains n6 GLA in the form of Borage oil (I do not take this supplement any longer). If you search through their site you can find mention of the need of GLA which justifys the use of it in their product.

Also, I have read a lot that flaxseed oil is a very unstable form of n3 EFAs and that your best bet is quality fish oil as a source of these fatty acids - just a semi-related note.

Take care!

[shoemama]

Fish oil and flax never seemed to make a difference with me regarding the dry eye issue. Hated the taste of flax oil so I dropped that one quick. Still take fish oil when I remember as it is always in the fridge, I have 2 health buff teenagers who use it as part of their work out routines. I think omega 3 is a good idea though for over all health, hey it can't hurt, right?

[Tony Barnes]

My eye doctor and my new g.p (specializing in natural hormones and supplements) recommended that I only take omega 3 and to stop with the omega 3,6,9 combination. Apparantly we get more than enough 6 and 9 in our diets and not enough of the 3.
My lid inflammation seems to slightly improved since I started using my clickable reusable heat packs (hand warmers!). I have been able to cut back on my salagen since using them.

This statement fails to take into account what omega 6 and how processed/damaged it is. A 1:1:1 of polys:monos:sats is generally desirable, with a 1:2 of omega 3:6. If you avoid poor sources of omega 6, then a blend will bring you close to this ratio.

Omega 9 is simply monounsaturates - these are good for energy and structural roles. Though by definition not essential, they are helpful, again when quality of other fats is considered.

People with evaporative dry eye are most likely to respond to omega supplementation as it will help with the phospholipid fraction of lipid layer in the tear film. If you suffer from a total block in the formation of these phospholipids, then eating them will unfortunately not help. If your problem stems from nutritional blocks in their metabolism, either increasing consumption or knocking out the problem area could help. You could try eating preformed phospholipds - lecithin from different sources may be of benefit.

You may get some symptomatic relief from an overall reduction in inflammation, but again this isn't hugely likely as lipid metabolism is often an all or nothing affair.

[green eyes2]

I have an evaporative-type of dry eye (low TBUT). I am currently taking TheraTears and NAC supplements and have also started eating walnuts (great source of omega 3) every day. I am eating canned or fresh fish twice a week and usually eat a salad for lunch or dinner. I have noticed a big improvement in my eyes.

I tried BioTears previously and also had a big improvement, but I could not tolerate the side effects (nausea and headaches). Even if the omega 3s don't end up helping your eyes they are great for your heart health among other things.

[epameinondasdz]

Theratears Nutrition did NOT worked for me. I was using it for two years.
Only the combination of Restasis & Systane makes me feel better. Especially Systane.

[Randal]

Restatis and Systane - When?

Only the combination of Restasis & Systane makes me feel better. Especially Systane.

When do you take Systane in relation to when you take Restatis? Immediately afterwards? Only when you need the Systane during the day?

Thanks.

Randal

[epameinondasdz]

I take systane 4-5 times per day.
I never take restasis and systane at the same moment.
I take the restasis at least one hour before or after systane.
When I was saying «Only the combination of Restasis & Systane makes me feel better» I was meaning: without one of them I didn't notice any significant improvement.

[scott1]

Omega 3 didn't seem to help my dry eye (not surprising since my problem seems to be the lacrimal and not the oil glands) but... I've had bad heartburn almost every day for about 7 years, and since the day I started taking flaxseed oil (3g/day, I later added fish oil) the heartburn has been 100% gone. 2 months so far with 0 heartburn, haven't been taking any antacids, and the omega 3 was the only change I made.