Dry Eyes
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debk3p2
Posts: 82 Member
Anyone else having problems with dry eyes? This past week or two it's really been bothering me. I'm not even that low carb - I usually end up between 60 and 80 total carbs per day (50 or 60 net). I have been eating this way for a while though - eight months. Besides the dry eyes I feel great. I am going through menopause too (such fun) so that could be contributing to this issue.
Has anyone else had this problem and managed to defeat it?
Has anyone else had this problem and managed to defeat it?
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i found that the more I hydrate, the more lubricated my eyes are. Had a Dr do a test-he stuck these litmus type strips into my tear ducts-apparently they were clogged. He suggested that while taking a shower that I allow some warm water near the eyes and then to lightly massage the sides. Also suggested taking a warm wash clothe and holding it against my eyes and then lightly massage the sides again. But that was just for me. You might have something totaly different. Go get checked out.0
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I found that my chronic dry eyes got better with low carb (probably from higher fat, more oil, fish oil). BUT, menopause could be a factor. I would probably get it checked out, though, especially if it was a recent change.0
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I thought I was th only one!! I have worn conatacts since high school and have never had problems. I started low carb a few months ago and now I am constantly putting eyedrops in. I feel better now
I was going to yell at my eye doctor lol 0 -
Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm going to the doctor next week so I'll ask him about it. Now that I think about it though, I've been running around so much the past two weeks I haven't really paid attention to keeping hydrated. I'll have to up my water consumption and see if that helps. It really is driving me crazy though.
thanks again,
Debbie0 -
Do you live in the midwest? I'm having problems with allergies right now because the grass has been dead all summer but we got some rain and now there's grass. And grass allergies. With dry eyes.0
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I do not suffer from this but maybe your diet could do with some extra carbohydrate from some so called 'safe starches' (e.g. some sweet potato) ...
This is a long post and challenges some of the ideas of 'low carbing' but the author knows his stuff and his 'Perfect Health Diet' book is a very good read:
http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/paul-jaminets-response-to-the-critics-of-his-safe-starches-concept/11920
Key point being:
Do Glucose Deficiency Symptoms Actually Occur in Low-Carb Dieters?
Yes.
I discussed the reduced mucus production very low-carb dieters sometimes experience in an early blog post (Dangers of Zero-Carb Diets, II: Mucus Deficiency and Gastrointestinal Cancers, Nov 15, 2010). Since that was published, well over 50 low-carb Paleo dieters have reported to me that dry eyes and other mucin deficiency symptoms were cured by adding safe starches to their diet.
We are all different so maybe the addition of some 'safe starch' is all that you need 0 -
Thanks DeadVim: Wow. That was a great article. I think it makes a lot of sense. I haven't really noticed a dry mouth but my eyes are really dry. The carbs I eat are almost exclusively from fruits and veggies rather than from starches. I think I'll try to cut back on the fruits and add a few starches and see what happens.
thanks again,
Debbie0 -
Thanks DeadVim: Wow. That was a great article. I think it makes a lot of sense. I haven't really noticed a dry mouth but my eyes are really dry. The carbs I eat are almost exclusively from fruits and veggies rather than from starches. I think I'll try to cut back on the fruits and add a few starches and see what happens.
thanks again,
Debbie
No worries
As a side-note, and know it's a bit controversial, I don't rate consuming a lot of fruit for weight management. I think the benefits have been overplayed and the fructose (although naturally occurring and packaged with a lot of good stuff) could hinder efforts.
Also, the apples (say) we buy in a supermarket today tends to bear little resemblance, nutritionally, to that we have eaten historically. Way sweeter.
The whole '5 a day' thing was a marketing-driven message, not health-focused.
Your mileage may vary, etc, and each to their own but if you eat a fair amount of fruit then replacing a serving with some sweet potato would be decent move for my money.
I stick to berries mainly and love 'em, especially strawberries from the garden which are just coming into season now 0 -
DeadVim: I do eat fruit every day - small enough portions so I can stay under my carb limit though. Fruit is my go to carb because it's easy and because I like the sweet taste. That being said - after reading that article on Tuesday I switched the fruit out for starches - sweet potatoes, white rice and a tiny bit of oatmeal. After just 2 days my eyes feel much much better. I think I'm going to switch to eating fruit once or twice a week rather than every day and see how I do.
Hope the starches won't hinder the weight loss - which is slow enough as it is. Still - I haven't increased my carbs, just changed them - so hopefully I'll continue to see progress.
Thanks!
Debbie0 -
That's great news, who knows, maybe a change of carb will even help weight loss?
Maybe you're gaining muscle and better body composition and the weight isn't the issue.
At my last weigh in I put on some but it didn't bother me as I could see I was trimmer, I've resolved just to weigh myself once for reference when the wobbly bits that shouldn't don't wobble anymore 0
