Cutting out alcohol for Dry January can help women to avoid dry eyes disease – a potentially damaging condition.
That’s according to the team at Optegra, which has a clinic in the Team Valley offering specialist procedures and NHS cataract surgery. Alcohol’s tendency to cause dehydration and inflammation of the eyes – along with the increase in blood sugar it causes – can have a real impact on your health.
Optegra’s Dr Nabila Jones – an optometrist and researcher – said: “Dry eye disease is a chronic condition where your eyes either stop making enough tears or produce low quality tears. Without proper tear function, your eyes become dry and you’re less likely to blink away debris or clear out bacteria which may lead to infection.
“It can make eyes feel gritty and irritated, or ironically, can cause excess tears which you are constantly wiping away as the eye tries to over-compensate.
“So whilst there are obvious health and wellbeing benefits for our bodies from not drinking alcohol, as it serves as a depressant for our central nervous system and slows important brain functions, there are also key benefits for both men’s and women’s eyes too. This January, give your eyes (and your health) a break!”
A 2021 study in the Ocular Surface journal found that in women, alcohol was a “significant risk factor” beind the condition. This can be exacerbated if a woman is experiencing hormonal changes.
Dr Jones added: “Alcohol can also interfere with the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals, leading to Omega-3 fatty acid and Vitamin A deficiency. The prevalence of both is crucial for eye health as Vitamin A helps us produce tears, while Omega-3s have anti-inflammatory properties that support the function of the tear film.
“It’s important to give our bodies a break from alcohol and January is the ideal time as there is generally less socialising, plus you might have the support of friends and family also taking part.”
To avoid the issue – it is advised to drink lots of water, ditch alcohol, use eye drops, “make a conscious effort to blink” and to eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as oily fish.
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