My dry eye relief story

[Angie K.]

Hello everyone,

I am a new member here and just happened to stumble on this site after my Intralase Lasik eye surgery.

It's been about ten days since my surgery and my eyes feel okay. They were even moist this morning when I woke up, but just to be safe I'm continuing with my eye drops.

I just wanted to share my story regarding dry eyes in case it could help someone.

I used to be a religious contact lens wearer, for about 6-7 years until my eyes got so dry that one of my contact lenses popped out of my eye at work while I was speaking to a customer. How embarrassing.

For years after that, I resigned myself to wearing glasses full time. By this time I had tried every disposable/daily contact lens on the market, but none of them worked for me.

Just recently, I went to a Naturopathic physician who also does applied kinesiology. I told him about my severe dry eyes and he said I needed omega fatty acids. I explained that I had not only been buying the best, most expensive, organic flax oils, but that I had been taking them with a sulphured protein (ie-cottage cheese) for best possible absorption.

He said that despite all of this, it wasn't the type of omega 3's my body needed and moreover, my body just wasn't absorbing it. So he muscle tested me and gave me a $13 bottle of gamma linolenic acid containing essential fatty acids.

Anyways, to wrap up my story, I took two pills with food that night, and within one day, my eyes began to feel moist again. No more grittiness and constant dry eyes strain. I couldn't believe how quickly this worked for me after having dry eyes for years.

My condition had improved so much which is why I decided to have laser eye surgery.

I hope this helps someone out there,

Angie

[KaylaR]

wow, that sounds amazing. i wonder if gamma linolenic acid will help post-lasik induced dry eye.. I might have to try that. So, your eyes were so improved that the surgery went okay for you? Did you have bad dry eye after lasik??

Just wondering!

[NYer]

Hi Angie,
That's great that it worked so quickly and so well. Could you tell us the brand name? Also, if it's not too much trouble, could you post here what the dosage of the ingredients is in each pill? I am pretty sure that I have something with gamma linolenic acid in it but I want to make sure that there is the right amount in there to be equivalent to what you're taking.
Thanks for posting!

[lboogie]

Yes, I'd be interested as well! Is it pure GLA? Or is it in the form of borage oil or something similar? Dosage info as well.

Good luck with your lasik healing.......I'm 5 months out, but still struggling a little bit.

[calcan]

Gla

Yes, please share the brand name and the dosage of GLA. GLA is an omega 6 fatty acid. Was there also fish oil in this supplement?

[Randal]

Yes, please share the brand name and the dosage of GLA. GLA is an omega 6 fatty acid. Was there also fish oil in this supplement?

So, GLA is omega 6, yes? Like others, Angie, I too would be interested to know the brand, dosage, and so on.

Could someone give me a primer on the types of omega fatty acids? Is it 3, 6, and 9?

Also, isn't there one type that most people in Western countries get way too much of?

Does the ratio of one type to another (is it omega 3 to omega 6?) make a difference, too?

Thanks.

Randal

[NYer]

Omega 3, Omega 6, and GLA

This is from Dr. Andrew Weil's site. www.drweil.com
I'm posting two Q&A's from his site rather than just linking them because the subject of Omega Acides and Fish/Flax Oil supplements comes up so often on this site that it's worth having a good explanation of them here. Note that his discussion of GLA pertains to Eczema, but it's still relevant to the eye discussion in this thread. Hope you find it helpful.

Q
Balancing Omega-3 and Omega-6?
I don’t understand the difference between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. I know we’re supposed to increase consumption of the omega-3s. What about omega-6?

A
Answer (Published 2/22/2007)

Omega-3 and omega-6 are types of essential fatty acids – meaning we cannot make them on our own and have to obtain them from our diet. Both are polyunsaturated fatty acids that differ from each other in their chemical structure. In modern diets, there are few sources of omega-3 fatty acids, mainly the fat of cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, black cod, and bluefish. There are two critical omega-3 fatty acids, (eicosapentaenoic acid, called EPA and docosahexaenoic or DHA), that the body needs. Vegetarian sources, such as walnuts and flaxseeds contain a precursor omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid called ALA) that the body must convert to EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are the building blocks for hormones that control immune function, blood clotting, and cell growth as well as components of cell membranes.
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By contrast, sources of omega-6 fatty acids are numerous in modern diets. They are found in seeds and nuts, and the oils extracted from them. Refined vegetable oils, such as soy oil, are used in most of the snack foods, cookies, crackers, and sweets in the American diet as well as in fast food. Soybean oil alone is now so ubiquitous in fast foods and processed foods that an astounding 20 percent of the calories in the American diet are estimated to come from this single source.

The body also constructs hormones from omega 6 fatty acids. In general, hormones derived from the two classes of essential fatty acids have opposite effects. Those from omega-6 fatty acids tend to increase inflammation (an important component of the immune response), blood clotting, and cell proliferation, while those from omega-3 fatty acids decrease those functions. Both families of hormones must be in balance to maintain optimum health.
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Many nutrition experts believe that before we relied so heavily on processed foods, humans consumed omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in roughly equal amounts. But to our great detriment, most North Americans and Europeans now get far too much of the omega-6s and not enough of the omega-3s. This dietary imbalance may explain the rise of such diseases as asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases, all of which are believed to stem from inflammation in the body. The imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may also contribute to obesity, depression, dyslexia, hyperactivity and even a tendency toward violence. Bringing the fats into proper proportion may actually relieve those conditions, according to Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., a psychiatrist at the National Institutes of Health, and perhaps the world's leading authority on the relationship between fat consumption and mental health. At the 2006 Nutrition and Health Conference sponsored by the University of Arizona's College of Medicine and Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Hibbeln cited a study showing that violence in a British prison dropped by 37 percent after omega-3 oils and vitamins were added to the prisoners' diets.

If you follow my anti-inflammatory diet, you should get a healthy ratio of these fatty acids. In general, however, you can cut down on omega-6 levels by reducing consumption of processed and fast foods and polyunsaturated vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, safflower, soy, and cottonseed, for example). At home, use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and in salad dressings. Eat more oily fish or take fish oil supplements, walnuts, flax seeds, and omega-3 fortified eggs. Your body and mind will thank you.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Q
You recommend gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) for eczema. Isn't GLA an omega-6 fatty acid that promotes inflammation? Wouldn't it be better to take omega-3s?

A
Answer (Published 11/21/2002)

GLA is an unusual fatty acid found in evening primrose oil, black currant oil and borage oil that is very hard to come by in the diet. It has specific nourishing effects on skin, hair, and nails that are not duplicated by omega-3 fatty acids. I recommend supplemental GLA for eczema, an allergic skin condition common in infants, children and young adults. Eczema produces itchy, thickened, red areas on various parts of the body. It tends to come and go and often occurs in conjunction with other allergic conditions such as asthma.

GLA is quite beneficial for eczema. However, it doesn't provide immediate relief for this and other skin problems. Results usually take six to eight weeks.
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It is true that a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the diet promotes inflammation by favoring synthesis of pro-inflammatory hormones (prostaglandins). But the amount of GLA needed to treat eczema and other skin conditions (500 milligrams twice a day) is too small to affect that ratio significantly.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

[Randal]

Ah! That Clears Up the Mystery

Thanks for the great post!

It cleared up the question I was wondering about from the beginning: If GLA is an omega-6 oil and yet omega-6 oils increase inflammation, then why is GLA being recommended to treat inflammation of the eyelids?

This helps a lot.

Randal

This is from Dr. Andrew Weil's site. www.drweil.com
I'm posting two Q&A's from his site rather than just linking them because the subject of Omega Acides and Fish/Flax Oil supplements comes up so often on this site that it's worth having a good explanation of them here. Note that his discussion of GLA pertains to Eczema, but it's still relevant to the eye discussion in this thread. Hope you find it helpful.

...

Q
You recommend gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) for eczema. Isn't GLA an omega-6 fatty acid that promotes inflammation? Wouldn't it be better to take omega-3s?

A
Answer (Published 11/21/2002)

GLA is an unusual fatty acid found in evening primrose oil, black currant oil and borage oil that is very hard to come by in the diet. It has specific nourishing effects on skin, hair, and nails that are not duplicated by omega-3 fatty acids. I recommend supplemental GLA for eczema, an allergic skin condition common in infants, children and young adults. Eczema produces itchy, thickened, red areas on various parts of the body. It tends to come and go and often occurs in conjunction with other allergic conditions such as asthma.

GLA is quite beneficial for eczema. However, it doesn't provide immediate relief for this and other skin problems. Results usually take six to eight weeks.

It is true that a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the diet promotes inflammation by favoring synthesis of pro-inflammatory hormones (prostaglandins). But the amount of GLA needed to treat eczema and other skin conditions (500 milligrams twice a day) is too small to affect that ratio significantly.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

[Angie K.]

Reply

Hello everyone,

I don't mind sharing the brand and dosage of the essential fatty acids I was taking, however, the point I was trying to make is that it might not be the right one for you.

I was muscle tested by a Naturopath who had a shelf full of different brands and of all varieties of essential fatty acids. This particular one happened to be the right one for me which is why it worked so well.

After having had this experience, I would not be inclined (maybe other than Aloe Vera Juice or digestive enzymes) to go and buy things that I think are helping me. Most of it just gets flushed down the toilet because it isn't absorbed by the body.

The pills I took were Gamma Linolenic Acid, 240 mg by AOR.

Good luck,

Angie

[lboogie]

so you would suggest seeing a natropath to test for absorption first? I have a friend who is a natropath, and I have been contemplating going to her -- that would be a good thing to ask her about.

[Lucy]

I was muscle tested by a Naturopath who had a shelf full of different brands and of all varieties of essential fatty acids. This particular one happened to be the right one for me which is why it worked so well.

Angie, I'm interested how the Naturopath tested your muscles. Can you explain and what criteria they use that you need these ingredients?
Thanks, Lucy

[jads]

my thoughts as well. Interested to know more regarding muscle testing. This link provides some useful reading.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m..._5/ai_n6182534

[ringo]

I have been taking omega-3 and omega-6 supplements without much success.

It is probably due to the fact that they must be taken in certain proportions, otherwise you get a negative, instead of a positive effect.

In addition, there is a different degree of absorption for different people, plus in some there is a deficiency of a certain fatty acid and supplementing other than that won't do a thing.

For example, GLA is deficient in Sjogren's sufferers and a number of other patient with skin or autoimmune disorders.