The truth about retinol and your dry eyes.
Retinol is a familiar ingredient in premium beauty products where it helps smooth skin to give a more youthful appearance. Nothing wrong with that we hear you cry, but what dry eye sufferers need to know is that retinol is not a friend to your eyes.
Dry eye is one of the most common ocular complaints people seek professional advice about. Dry eye affects an estimated 1 in 3 people in the UK with symptoms ranging from mild, occasional sensations of dry, tired, irritated eyes to more frequent severe symptoms which can have a negative impact on the overall quality of life. Simple life style decisions like choosing the best beauty products for your eyes can make a difference.
Read on to learn more…
What is retinol?
Retinol is just one of the many derivatives of a group of substances known as retinoids. You might know of retinol by its everyday name - vitamin A – or to be more precise vitamin A1. The term retinoid refers to any vitamin A derivative.
What is retinol they used for?
Retinol is a popular ingredient in skin care products, including some eye creams, and is used to improve uneven skin tone, pigmentation, and texture. It is often described as having ‘anti-aging’ properties. Retinoids (Accutane) are also available in tablet form and are used to treat skin conditions such as acne. These are of higher concentration and can only be obtained on prescription.
How does retinol work?
Retinol works by accelerating the rate of skin cell production. This has the effect of helping to exfoliate your skin and increase collagen production. Retinol is favoured as a treatment for acne due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-seborrheic properties. The latter effect helps the unclogging of blocked pores which is particularly beneficial to acne sufferers.
What risks does retinol present to your eyes
Retinol clearly delivers great results as a beauty product and medicinally for more serious skin conditions. However, when it comes to your eyes there can be unintended consequences. Clinical studies have shown that retinol can cause the loss of meibomian gland function. These tiny glands found along the edge of your eye lids produce the oils which form the outer protective layer of your tear film. Without these oils, known as meibum, your tear moisture evaporates too quickly leaving your eyes dry and irritated.
It has long been known that a loss, or atrophy, of the meibomian glands is unfortunately not reversible. It is for this reason that the DRY EYE ZONE takes care to let sufferers know of these potential risks.
Does retinol concentration levels matter?
The level of retinol in over-the-counter skin products is far lower than that in prescription creams or tablets. But research shows that even in everyday beauty preparations retinol may pose a risk for dry eye when applied to the ocular area.
Isn’t vitamin A good for your eyes?
Vitamin A is essential for good vision due to its role in the formation of light sensitive pigments in the eye. Vitamin A (and A1) is a fat-soluble vitamin which can be found in liver, egg yolk, and dairy products. Like so many things in life hitting the sweet spot is important – both too much or too little can cause problems.
Too little vitamin A can, among other things, result in loss of vision and even blindness. But
too much is also a problem, the many symptoms include loss of night vision quality and skin dryness due to impaired oil gland function. Remember your meibomian glands are a specially adapted oil gland.
Is this good-bye to good quality skin care for dry eye sufferers?
The DRY EYE ZONE recommends that dry eye sufferers always take a minute or two to look at the ingredients of any product they are going to apply to the eye lids or the delicate skin around the eye. Many of the everyday cosmetic formulations contain substances which can make dry eye worse. There are also new generation Opti-cosmetics which have been created with dry eye sufferers in mind – so you can use them with confidence.
As far as retinol-based products are concerned, if you are using them, make sure you are careful not to apply them to the immediate area around the eye. However, these negative results are not avoidable if taking the retinoid orally.
You can learn more about all things dry eye related at the DRY EYE ZONE. Don’t forget to subscribe to the regular free information and research updates.
If you are experiencing dry eye symptoms then you should ask the advice of your eye care professional. Why not book your next eye examination with an independent optician today.
Sources:
Vidal-Rohr M, Craig JP, Davies LN, Wolffsohn JS. The epidemiology of dry eye disease in the UK: The Aston dry eye study. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2023 Jun;46(3):101837. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2023.101837. Epub 2023 Mar 30. PMID: 37003925.
Zakrzewska A, Wiącek MP, Słuczanowska-Głąbowska S, Safranow K, Machalińska A. The Effect of Oral Isotretinoin Therapy on Meibomian Gland Characteristics in Patients with Acne Vulgaris. Ophthalmol Ther. 2023 Aug;12(4):2187-2197. doi: 10.1007/s40123-023-00737-6. Epub 2023 Jun 10. PMID: 37301783; PMCID: PMC10287853.
Sajovic J, Meglič A, Glavač D, Markelj Š, Hawlina M, Fakin A. The Role of Vitamin A in Retinal Diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 18;23(3):1014. doi: 10.3390/ijms23031014. PMID: 35162940; PMCID: PMC8835581.
Ng A, Evans K, North RV, Jones L, Purslow C. Impact of Eye Cosmetics on the Eye, Adnexa, and Ocular Surface. Eye Contact Lens. 2016 Jul;42(4):211-20. doi: 10.1097/ICL.0000000000000181. PMID: 26398576.
Guo OD LW, Akpek E. The negative effects of dry eye disease on quality of life and visual function. Turk J Med Sci. 2020 Nov 3;50(SI-2):1611-1615. doi: 10.3906/sag-2002-143. PMID: 32283910; PMCID: PMC7672346.
Comentários