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Can Caffeine Cure Dry Eyes?

coffee and dry eyeIt’s safe to say that your coffee habit powers you through the busiest of days.  From getting started in the morning and enduring your commute to giving you that extra boost you need to beat the 3 pm slump, coffee is an important part of your day.  However, with health experts exchanging contradictory information about the benefits and risks of your morning cup of joe, you might be tempted to kick your caffeine habit.

Before you dump those coffee eyes, consider this: your eye health may rely on your coffee habit.

The Link Between Caffeine and Curing Dry Eye

When it comes to maintaining and encouraging your ocular health, Dr. Jacqueline Griffiths and the eye experts at New View Eye Center in Reston, Virginia (also serving the greater Washington, D.C. area) have always prided themselves on providing patients with up-to-date information and relevant new studies.  That’s why when a new study revealed shocking information linking caffeine with the end of dry eyes, we immediately had to let our patients know.

Dry eye syndrome is an ocular condition that makes it difficult for the eye to produce its own tears.  In other cases of dry eye syndrome, sufferers can produce tears, but they’re unable to spread evenly across the cornea.  Tears are a critical component to keeping the eye refreshed and healthy, as the lubrication can help keep dirt and particles away from the delicate cornea area.  Dry eye syndrome is mostly irritating, but it can also lead to tears and cuts in the eye that can damage the cornea.

So can caffeine really help improve dry eye syndrome?

A small study took a group of dry eye sufferers and measured their coffee drinking habits.  The researchers noted that participants produced more tears after drinking their coffee than after taking a placebo.  Research from an earlier study seems to support these findings, with 13 percent of coffee drinkers suffering from dry eye as opposed to 17 percent of non-drinkers.

Treat Your Dry Eye Syndrome at New View Eye Center

While the jury is still out on the connection between caffeine and dry eye syndrome, the lesson is still clear: if you’re suffering from dry eye syndrome, it’s important to seek out the treatment of a medical professional.  Contact Dr. Griffiths today at the New View Eye Center in Reston, Virginia – also serving the greater Washington, D.C. area – to receive treatment for your dry eye syndrome.