Combination Therapy for Dry eye Disease

The cause or contributing factor in dry eye disease is, in many cases, the malfunctioning of the meibomian glands, the glands that run along the inside of the eyelid, which make the essential oily component of healthy tear film. Many dry eye treatments are focused on getting those glands working again. 

A recent study published in the journal, Cornea, suggests that a combination treatment consisting of daily lid wipes, artificial tears and the right nutritional supplements can improve meibomian gland function and dry eye symptoms after three months compared with a regimen of warm compresses applied to the eyes once a day.  Warm compresses are an old and standard treatment and are often the first thing to try for dry eye. The study suggests that skipping warm compresses and going with a combination of treatments works much better. 

Other studies have also supported the use of moist, headed compresses and nutritional supplementation with high dosage of triglyceride omega-3 in combination to improve dry eye symptoms as a first line of defence against dry eye disease.

As with any treatment, check with your eye doctor before trying it.

Source:

Effect of Using a Combination of Lid Wipes, Eye Drops, and Omega-3 Supplements on Meibomian Gland Functionality in Patients With Lipid Deficient/Evaporative Dry Eye

Cornea 2015 Feb 03;[EPub Ahead of Print], DR Korb, CA Blackie, VM Finnemore, T Douglass