The Importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

I had an appointment with my eye doctor today. I have trouble with dry eyes and working on the computer all day doesn't help the condition one bit. My vision gets blurry and sometimes I even start seeing double! It had gotten so bad that my ophthamologist had recommended plugging my lacrimal ducts. Now I don't know about you, but just the thought of going around with plugs in my eyes made my stomach churn.

Being a typical medical professional, his other suggestion was the prescription medicine Restasis. These eye drops artificially increase tear production.

Well, I wasn't too thrilled with either of these solutions, so I did a little research of my own. I found that omega-3 fatty acids are helpful in producing an oily film over the surface of the eye, helping them retain moisture. Fish are rich in these oils. So I began taking marine fish oil capsules two weeks ago and noticed a remarkable difference in just two days.

At my appointment today, the doctor repeated a test that I had taken two weeks ago. Today the test results looked similar to the results from one year ago. The test results from two weeks ago had shown enough deterioration in my field of vision that he was considering putting me on a prescription medication.

The only difference I can think of that I made was the addition of the fish oil capsules. Not only did my dry eye condition improve, it seems my vision has improved, too! Remarkable!

The ophthamologist agreed that the omega-3s do help with dry eyes. He explained it like adding a film of oil over water in a glass. The oil-covered water will not evaporate as quickly as a plain glass of water will. The same principle applies to the surface of your eye.

The moral of this story is do a little research when you are diagnosed with a medical problem. Sometimes a little digging for knowledge turns up a very simple natural solution.

By the way, omega-3 fatty acids are recommended for ADD/ADHD, arthritis, asthma, cancer, heart disease, COPD, Chrohn's disease, depression, eczema, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, kidney disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and schizophrenia.

If you've tried any supplements instead of prescription medicine and found relief, let us know. I'd love to hear about it.

Until next time,
Liz