SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

how to boost the power of your senses. this week: omega-3 for dry eyes

AS WE age, our eyes become more prone to dryness and this can blur vision. Normally, blinking maintains the tear film — the outer oily layer that stops tears from evaporating — as a flat surface, which means we easily see through it.

But in patients with dry eyes, this film breaks up within a few seconds and looking through the ‘bumpy’ surface leads to blurred vision.

‘Symptoms of dry eye can be reduced by the essential fatty acids in omega-3 oils,’ says Dr Nigel Best, a Specsavers optometrist.

If your eyes feel itchy or gritty and your vision is no longer as sharp, a daily supplement could help. A study published in 2016 in the journal Cornea found taking an omega-3 supplement leads to a better tear profile in just 12 weeks.