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Tears are actually composed of three elements, a thin mucin layer on the bottom to help spread tears our over the surface of the eye, a thicker layer of water, and an oil film on the surface to keep the water layer from evaporating too quickly. This article is going to focus on the oily component.

Every teenager is familiar with pustules of acne to a greater or lesser degree. These are due to the oil glands in the skin plugging up, causing the gland to split open when it cannot release its contents normally.

The oil glands in our eyes are much the same, although bigger. Styes are the smaller of the two, and when they rupture, they resemble their skin cousins and are usually seen on the lid margins. Chalazia come from the larger Meibomian glands, numbering about 40 in each lower and upper lid. When these occlude, they cause rather dramatic swelling, tenderness, redness, and quickly become a obvious cosmetic issue.

Glands occlude for one of two reasons: there is some external pressure on the gland, causing the orifice to occlude, or that the oil in the gland gets too viscous to be expressed.

When oil glands rupture, oil is released into the eyelid tissues, where it causes an inflammatory reaction. Oil, where it doesn’t belong, is quite a problem (just ask Exxon). Our bodies have poor mechanisms to deal with this problem. It sends in the macrophages, our mobile cell network to gobble up the oil and carry it off. This is a slow process resulting in chalazia, taking weeks to months to resolve. They are not infectious in my opinion and therefore, antibiotics have little place in their treatment. The best treatment is applying hot compresses to the lids, dilating blood vessels in the area, and thus speeding the ingress of macrophages. Warm, wrung-out washcloths heated in a microwave are handy for this. The longer the application of heat, the faster they resolve.

When we ingest omega 3 oils, we change the characteristics of the oil in our oil glands, making the secretions thinner. The main source of these oils is cold-water fish such as salmon, haddock, cod, anchovies and sardines. Grass also contains these oils, which is why free-range chickens and eggs and non-feedlot beef are better nutritional products for us. These oils are liquid at room temperature, indeed they stay liquid at very cold temperatures, allowing these fish to remain flexible at supra-freezing temperatures. When we ingest omega 3 oils, we change the composition of the oils in our own glands, making them thinner and therefore less likely to plug up the gland. When the secretions become thinner, the tears become more efficient, our eyes become more comfortable, and we discourage future styes.

My recommendation is 1 teaspoon of Cod Liver Oil daily. Omega 3 oils are important in brain functioning, preventing depression. They are also important in heart health and for a smooth running immune system. Lemon and orange is the best flavoring in my opinion. Keep it cold for freshness and better taste. Grandmothers everywhere must be saying “I told you Cod Liver Oil is important!”

Jim McNabb, M.D.
Eye Physicians of Austin