Nutritional Supplements Can Improve Ocular Rosacea Symptoms

The main action of nutritional therapy is to reduce ocular inflammation. Excess free radicals on the eye surface can cause eye inflammation by dilating surface blood vessels and disrupting the tear film layer. Increased oral intake of free radical scavengers (antioxidants) may play a role in decreasing eye surface inflammation and preventing damage to surface blood vessels:
Antioxidants that have Anti-Inflammatory Actions in the Eye:
• Ester-C: Ester C is a form of vitamin C that is gentle on the stomach and highly bio-available. It is recommended that rosacea sufferers slowly work their way up to 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams per day (in divided doses)
• Grape Seed Extract: Grape seed extract is one of the most powerful antioxidants known to science. It is recommended that rosacea sufferers slowly work their way up to 150 to 300 milligrams per day (in divided doses).
• Pycnogenol: Pycnogenol has very similar actions to grape seed extract. It is recommended that rosacea sufferers slowly work their way up to 50 to 200 milligrams per day (in divided doses).

Essential Fatty Oils:
• Borage Seed Oil: Supplementation with essential fatty oils such as gamma linolenic acid, the active ingredient in borage seed oil, may be beneficial to patients with ocular symptoms. Gamma linolenicacid (GLA) has two interesting mechanisms of action in thetreatment of ocular disorders:
(1) GLA supplementation decreases ocular inflammation, and
(2) GLA supplementation increases mucous production from goblet cells, resulting in a more stable tear film layer.