▻ The most common eye discomfort in modern world is known as dry eye syndrome (DES) or dry eye disease (DED). DES is a chronic condition characterised by a loss of tear film homeostasis: eyes’ production of tears becomes dysfunctional, either because their biochemical composition is unbalanced or because they’re simply not enough to keep the eye healthily moisturised. 

And while dry eyes naturally tend to be quite common among aging people, spending a lot of time staring a computer or cellphone screen is causing an increasingly high number of younger people to suffer from this discomfort as well. Still, other than aging and screen lights, causes may vary among individuals and they can include: tear insufficiency or unbalance, allergies or exposition to polluting agents, and hormonal or systemic disorders.

Symptoms of dry eye are wide, they can range from mild to more severe forms and can manifest occasionally or continuously throughout time. Among the most common we annoverate:

• Excess tearing;
• Discomfort such as itching, burning, a foreign body sensation in the eyes or contact lens uncomfortableness;
• Light sensitivity;
• Blurred effect or fluctuation in vision;
• Fatigued eyes at the end of the day;
• Redness. 

Some easy tips on how to avoid dry eye? There you go: 

• Wear sunglasses while outside and try blue-light glasses while screen-staring;
• Avoid direct exposure to fans, vents or strong wind, which can dry your eyes quicker; 
• Use the 20/20/20 rule when you spend hours at your computer: every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and focus on something about 20 meters away and blink;
• Try to include in your diet anti-inflammatory foods and stay well-hydrated during the day. 

In particular, there is growing evidence that diet and nutritional supplementation play a significant role in this condition. Hyaluronic Acid has been widely used in tear supplements, not only for its hydrating properties as a topical agent, but also because it’s effective in promoting corneal epithelial wound healing. More recently, researches have proven oral intake of HA delivers the same anti-inflammatory and skin-moisturising effects, and such a concept turned out to be applicable to eye health as well.

In a recent study, carried out via a randomised controlled trial, all DES-affected subjects were treated with topical Hyaluronic Acid, and the study group was supplemented with further oral Hyaluronans. Checks occurred after both 1 and 3 months since the study group began treatment with oral Hyaluronans, and scientists registered a significant enhancement in the values of ocular surface disease index, seconds of tear break up time, and corneal fluorescein staining. This groundbreaking result is extremely significative as it implies ingested HA, once degraded by intestinal bacteria and absorbed through the intestinal route, reaches the ocular area as well. Once here, HA not only helps the eye to remain moisturised thought its hygroscopic properties, but it also promotes corneal epithelial wound healing by activating specific intracellular responses.  

More studies are needed to better assess and comprehend the interaction between oral HA and eye health, in the meanwhile you can discover more about Hyaluronans food supplements visiting the page dedicated to our SinoHyal FG line.