My fighters often complain that their eyes are watering or feeling dry and gravelly. For people with Parkinson’s, dry eye can be a common problem caused by neurological symptoms.
The most common reason is improper blinking. The normal rate for blinks per minute is 15 to 24 times per minute. In a Parkinson’s blink study subjects with PD were found to only blink 4 to 12 times per minute. I personally timed one of my fighters (without telling him) and he did not blink for six minutes straight!!! It’s also common for people with PD to only partially blink, which is also a contributor to dry eye.
This lack of blinking is unhealthy for our eyes. It can lead to Meibomian Gland Disease (MGD), a common disorder where the oil glands that keep your eyes lubricated dry out and become clogged, causing the eyes to tear more to try to replace the oil.
This oil helps protect the eye surface from disease and prevents the tears from evaporating when your eyes are open and blinking. At night, this oil creates a water-tight seal, so your eyes don’t dry out. If you don’t get your eyes “unplugged” and working, they can actually atrophy and not produce the oils at all.
It’s important to have regular eye exams and ask your eye doctor to properly examine your meibomian glands through gland expression, even if you aren’t experiencing dry eye yet. This is a separate test from the usual exam.
The basic treatment for mild dry eye is pretty simple:
- Warm compresses – 10 minutes each night at bedtime to melt clogged oil, followed by gland expression (ask a doctor for instructions).
- Lid hygiene – Use specialized washes for your eyelids to prevent bacteria from forming on dry eyes. Some doctors still prescribe baby shampoo for this, but specialists tell me this is outdated information and can actually cause drying and irritation.
- Quality artificial tear drops
- Nutritional Supplements – Omega-3 and flaxseed oils are helpful.
- Blinking exercises
Bring on the exercise!
- Hold your fingers at the outside corners of your eyes and blink. If you feel any movement under your fingers, you are using your defense muscles that run along the side of your head. Your blinking muscles are above the eyelids.
- It is very important to do the squeeze step (see below) to stretch the blinking muscle so you can make complete contact between the upper and lower lids.
- When you are doing the close correctly you should feel no movement under your fingers, except when you squeeze. Count it out in slow three-second counts:
Close – Pause – Pause
Open – Pause – Pause
Close – Pause – Pause
Squeeze – Pause – Pause
Open – Pause – Pause
Repeat these steps five times, and do this exercise several times throughout the day. If you’re working on a computer or watching TV, you should do this exercise every 20 minutes.
** If your dry eye is more symptomatic, more therapeutic management is recommended. See your eye doctor.
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References:
Karson, C. N., Burns, R. S., LeWitt, P. A., Foster, N. L., & Newman, R. P. (1984). Blink rates and disorders of movement. Neurology, 34(5), 677–678. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.34.5.677
Opitz, D. L., Harthan, J. S., Fromstein, S. R., & Hauswirth, S. G. (2015, August 28). Diagnosis and management of Meibomian gland dysfunction: Optometrists&: Opto. Clinical Optometry. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.dovepress.com/diagnosis-and-management-of-meibomian-gland-dysfunction-optometrists39-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OPTO
Canter, J. (2021, November 29). Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD): Symptoms, causes, & treatment. WebMD. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/meibomian-gland-dysfunction
Nowacka, B., Lubinski, W., Honczarenko, K., Potemkowski, A., & Safranow, K. (2014). Ophthalmological features of Parkinson disease. Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 20, 2243–2249. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.890861
Karpecki, P. M. (2019, February 13). Blinking exercises. PECAA. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from http://www.pecaa.com/2015/09/23/blinking-exercises