This Supplement Combats Dry Eyes Caused By Daily Screen Use*

The beauty and wellness industries emphasize the importance of staying hydrated, but your skin isn't the only part of your body that requires moisture. When your eyes aren't properly lubricated, dryness and all that comes with it (scratching, burning, tired eyes) is around the corner. 

Eye dryness can lead to occasional grittiness, scratchiness, irritation, and more. And let's be real—if your eyes are burning, watering, or feeling sore at times, it's tough to focus on whatever it is you're trying to accomplish. 

The question is, what causes eye dryness (and all that comes with it) in the first place?

It all starts with the lacrimal and meibomian glands, Rai explains. These special eye glands create a tri-layered tear film made of solute proteins, electrolytes, antioxidants, and ascorbic acid that lay across the outer surface of the eye, nourishing the organ and maintaining its moisture. (A robust film, of course, assumes you're regularly consuming adequate amounts of electrolyte minerals, antioxidants, and vitamin C).

The film also provides a layer of protection against free radicals and other stressors—like dust, pollutants, and other foreign substances—to ensure clear visibility. 

As society's digital dependency increases steadily, keeping your eyes hydrated is just as important as moisturizing your face and body.

"We live in a digital world where we are almost dependent on our digital devices to conduct work and socialize, as well as for entertainment, and our blinking time is considerably reduced when using a computer [or smartphone or tablet]," Rai explains. "As a result, our wide-open eyes are more prone to dryness and eye strain."

In a study published in PLOS ONE, researchers found that smartphone usage can hinder the eye's tear film1 and cause more oxidative stress around the eye. But note: The study took place in 2018 (pre-pandemic), and the participants' ocular health was evaluated after one to four hours of smartphone usage. The results of a survey conducted by Statista in 2021 reveal a more grim digital use prevalence: Almost half (46%) of respondents spent roughly five to six hours on their phones, daily. 

mindbodygreen's eye health+, for example, is a vegan-friendly, plant-powered formula chock-full of eye-loving phytonutrients and botanicals that are clinically shown to promote antioxidant density, provide photoprotective light-filtering benefits, buffer against eye strain, support visual sharpness2, and help maintain healthy ocular blood flow.* 

The age-old saying "you are what you eat" rings true here—the types of food you consume directly affect your eye health, and one of the most important nutrients to include in your diet is omega-3 fatty acids. Examples of foods rich in omega-3s include chia seeds, hemp seeds, and fatty fish like tuna and salmon.

According to a paper published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, the retina (the part of the eye that converts light into signals that are then computed to images in the brain), specifically the membranes of the photoreceptors in the retina, is largely made up of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA5. However, because the human body does not produce omega-3s EPA and DHA efficiently, making sure we consume enough through diet and supplementation is critical.

As a nation, we're falling seriously short on marine omega-3 intake. For a baseline starting point, the American Heart Association6 recommends adults consume two servings of fatty fish per week.

Another easy way to quench your eye's thirst is to simply drink more water. After all, "eye dryness" is just a fancy way of saying your eyes need some extra moisturization!

Blinking helps protect the eyes from debris, pollutants, air temperature effects, and some free radicals. The more you can combat external environmental stressors, the less likely you are to have dry eyes.

In a world where virtually everything is becoming, well, virtual—stepping away from the screen can feel almost impossible. You don't need to take a digital detox if you don't feel it's sustainable. You should, however, break up your screen time to give your eyes a break from blue light exposure and digital eye strain.

The eye level of your computer screen could also be contributing to your eye dryness. See, when your computer screen is above eye level, your eyes need to open wider to take everything in, thus increasing the surface area of your eyeballs susceptibility to dryness, making your eye's ciliary muscles work harder to focus, and even upping the chances of debris and other environmental stressors flying in. 

Eye dryness can be unpleasant (and just plain distracting!). In some cases, it can even affect your visual performance and productivity.