Eye Health News

You won't cry your eyes out if you drink alcohol

Dry Eye and drinking don't mix. In a recent study in the prestigious professional journal, Ophthalmology, researchers found that drinking alcohol worsened dry eye. Specifically, they analyzed tear film and ocular surface changes in 10 healthy subjects and controls who drank a measured dose of alcohol with a meal at dinner. When the alcohol waded its way through the bloodstream and into the tears, this is what they found:
  1. Increased tear osmolarity (more concentrated, salty tears)
  2. Shorter Tear Break Up Time (TBUT is the time that the the tears coat the cornea before breaking apart)
  3. Higher fluorescein staining scores the next morning (uncomfortable dry spots on the corneal surface)
Their conclusion? Alcohol can induce transient dry eye syndrome, and may aggravate signs and symptoms of dry eye. Our recommendation if you've got symptoms of Dry Eye? Less Alcohol. More of Dr. Krawitz's patented Dry Eye Relief capsules.*