Michael Lange OD, CNS founder of Lange Eye Care and The Lange Eye Institute has used natural approaches to improve Meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eyes since 1992 with great success. Dr. Lange discusses the protocol he uses for dry eye and Meibomian gland problem patients.
Natural therapy for meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye is a combination of proper lid hygiene, good diet, plenty of hydration, correct ratio of supplements and proper lubricating eye drops. Blepharitis a condition that causes the eye lids to become inflamed and crusty secondarily to a host of pathogens. Meibomian gland dysfunction is when small glands along the lower and upper lid margins become blocked and inflamed. These conditions can lead to lid infections, dry eyes and permanent vision loss if proper treatment isn’t initiated. The eye lids accumulate lots of bacteria, viral flora, antigens. mold, fungus and parasites so it is crucial that the lids are cleaned properly. Dr. Lange recommends seeing your local optometrist or ophthalmologist to determine if you have blepharitis and if so what kind??
Most mild forms of blepharitis can be controlled with a special lid scrub foam like Ocusoft Plus. Moderate forms of blepharitis will need Ocusoft Platinum foam or Oasis Hypochlorus eye lid spray However, some forms of blepharitis are related to a parasite called demodex. If demodex is in the lashes and the hair follicles then traditional lid scrubs will not help . Dr. Lange recommends use of a commercially available product called Ocusoft Demodex Cleanser to treat this type of demodex condition. The combination of lid scrubs will get most forms of blepharitis under control within one to two months. However if this condition does not respond to this therapy then a topical and sometimes oral medication may be prescribed.
Dr. Lange recommends using hot compresses two to three times a day for ten minutes with gentle massage of the lid margins. This will help to liquify the clogged meibomian glands and allow the outer lipid layer of the tear film to be healthy. A patient can use a warm wash cloth for this but the simplest and most effective way to heat up the meibomian glands is to use a Bruder eye hydrating Mask, this mask retails for $25 and last for years. The combination of hot compresses and lid scrubs will open up the meibomian glands and allow a much healthier secretion of tears resulting in improved dry eye symptomology.
Michael Lange OD, CNS also states that an over haul in the typical American diet is crucial for dry eye patients. Most Americans are eating a highly refined and overly processed diet very high in omega 6. He recommends patients adapt an all organic, gluten free diet. He has developed a diet called “The Lange Survival Diet”. This is an anti inflammatory diet that helps the body detoxify. The typical American diet is pro inflammatory and is one of the reasons we have so much inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a root cause of dry eyes. Natural treatment of dry eyes starts with adjustment in the diet. Michael Lange OD sees many patients with meibomian gland dysfunction improve dramatically with just an improvement in diet.
Most Americans are dehydrated! Dehydration is also a major contributing factor to dry eyes. Michael Lange OD, CNS preaches on his syndicated radio show and to his patients to drink half your body weight in spring water. Drink spring water, or Watt-Ahh water not distilled water or reverse osmosis water. Spring water is high in minerals and relatively alkaline. Reverse osmosis and distilled water is acidic and mineral free. In theory if a patient drinks a lot of distilled water or reverse osmosis water then due to the laws of osmosis the minerals in the body can be leached out causing mineral deficiency in the body. This can aggravate a dry eye condition.
Dr Lange also recommends drinking 1-2 glasses of coconut water a day to gain some valuable minerals like magnesium and potassium.
One cup of coffee a day may be beneficial for dry eyes however more than one cup becomes a diuretic.To counter effect the coffee one must drink three additional cups of water for every cup of coffee. Nutritional supplements for dry eyes and blocked meibomian glands are becoming the gold standard because they work.
Dr Michael Lange has also been adding a non denatured whey protein concentrate from grass fed New Zealand or American cows to all of his dry eye patients. This type of protein is very high in covalent bonded cysteine, CLA and lactoferrin. Blending one scoop of this form of protein along with either spring water, coconut water, coconut milk, goats milk , A2 cows milk or hemp milk in a smoothie is a great way to get theses valuable dry eye nutrients. This can also be used as a meal replacement to help with weight management. Fortifeye Vitamins has a delicious non denatured whey protein concentrate from New Zealand grass fed cows called Fortifeye Super Protein. The best deal on a whey protein is the Fortifeye Grass Fed Whey Isolate in a bag at only $59 for 60 servings. This whey isolate is also non denatured and comes form American grass fed cows.
Dr. Lange recommends 1600- 2400 mg of triglyceride form omega 3 fish oil daily for anyone under 240lbs. If you are over 240 lbs then higher amounts of triglyceride form omega 3 fish oil is recommended. The addition of 6 mg of a super carotenoid called astaxanthin can be taken with omega 3 fish oil. Astaxanthin is one of the most potent natural anti inflammatory/ antioxidant nutrients. Astaxanthin helps to reduce eye strain , improve focusing ability of the eye and reduce eye fatigue associated with prolonged near point or computer work. Astaxanthin helps control oxidative stress and inflammation. Many new studies are proving astaxanthin is beneficial for dry eyes. The combination of 1600 mg -2400mg of omega 3 and 6 mg of astaxanthin has seen reduction in dry and tired eye symptoms. Michael Lange OD, CNS is the formulator of three specific supplements he developed for Dry Tired eyes: Fortifeye Super Omega has 1600mg of TG form Omega 3 , Fortfeye Super Omega 3 Max with 2400 mg of TG form Omeg 3 and Fortifeye Focus has 6mg of astaxanthin, 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin isomers. Learn more at old.fortifeye.com . Astaxanthin also has some other great evidence based health benefits; acting as a natural sun screen, minimizes fine lines and wrinkles in the face, astaxanthin improves choroidal circulation, lowers CRP and cholesterol, improves muscle endurance and muscle recovery and has a very high ORAC value so great at quenching free radicals. Wild Alaskan Salmon is a power food because it has both omega 3 in the triglyceride form and astaxanthin. The combination of Fortifeye Super Omega Or Super Omega 3 Max and Fortifeye Focus seems to improve the quality of tear film that is secreted . Patients also report this combination seems to help lower inflammation in the entire body . Its maximum effect takes three to four months but many people notice some improvement in two weeks. One last nutrient that has some benefit for dry eyes is GLA. However the ratio of GLA is crucial if its going to work. GLA is an omega 6 and if too much is taken it will increase inflammation in the body. GLA from black currant seed oil seems to work the best due to the fact that it has ALA (vegetable source of omega 3 ) as well as GLA. Dr. Lange has tried many different combinations of GLA and Omega 3 in extremely busy dry eye practices in Florida and has come to the conclusion that a ratio of close to 10-1 omega 3 to GLA is ideal natural therapy for dry eyes. For dry eye benefits he recommends 130-160mg of GLA to 1600-2400 mg of omega 3. Michael Lange OD, CNS says the triple whammy for natural dry eye treatment is Fortifeye Super Omega 2 -4 per day depending on weight, 1 Fortifeye Focus, and 1 Fortifeye Black Currant oil/ GLA. This combination has been bundled together and is called Fortifeye Advanced Dry Eye Therapy: https://old.fortifeye.com/products/advanced-dry-eye-therapy/ Doctors all over the globe are recommending this new dry eye supplement to their patients with positive results
The final part to natural treatment of dry eyes is to add a good lubricating eye drop. Michael Lange OD, CNS likes to use preservative free lubricating eye drops if they are going to be used more than two times a day. Optase, Oasis tears , Oasis tears plus, Retaine MGD and Fresh Kote are four lubricating eye drops Dr Lange uses on most of his patients. He likes Oasis and Optase because it has a form of hyaluranic acid that helps eliminate dry eye symptoms longer than most OTC artificial tears. Often times in very dry eyes related to meibomian gland dysfunction he will add Retaine MGD preservative free drops along with Oasis, Optase or Fresh Kote to get broader coverage.
In summary , when a combination of proper lid hygiene, diet, hydration, correct supplements and good artificial tears are used many dry eye conditions that are a result of blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction will start to improve. Patients with dry eyes have come from all over the country to The Lange Eye Institute in The Villages Florida to learn more about natural treatment for dry eyes. Learn more about Lange Eye Care at www.langeeyecare.com and learn more about all the products discussed in this article at old.fortifeye.com to order or get more information on Dry Eye Nutrition u can call 866 503 9746 . You can also learn more about Dr Michael Lange at http://www.drmichaellange.com
