AHS18

The leading cause of vision fluctuations for many of us today has nothing to do with our “prescriptions.” It is almost exclusively an issue of poor tear quality. Any light that enters our eyes interacts first with our tear film, not our cornea or any other fixed ocular structure. An irregular or insufficient tear layer results in blurred, inconsistent vision. Unfortunately, there are more people experiencing these symptoms than ever before. Modern indoor environments have caused our blink rates to decrease and the rate of tear evaporation to increase. Medications have reduced our tear production. A lack of Omega-3 fatty acids in our modern western diets has changed tear chemistry, making the tears less stable. Fortunately, there are dietary guidelines and lifestyle modifications dry eye sufferers can implement to improve comfort and consistency of vision and ultimately increase quality of life.