At one time, doctors believed that drinking coffee was a risk factor for developing dry eye disease. It was thought hat since coffee is a diuretic, it dried out t body and the yes. However, recent studies have shown that caffeine in coffee is not associated with diuretic problems and might actually reduce dry eye syndrome by increasing tear production. For example, some studies have shown that caffeine can improve tear secretion. A 2013 study published in the journal, Optometry and Vision Science, had that result. However, the problem with that study was that it study examined tear secretions in people without dry eye disease. The st
The study does not really have anything to say about whether caffeine can improve tear secretion in people diagnosed with dry eye disease, who often have gland dysfunctions.
The authors of the study acknowledged that the sample size used in the study is too small and skewed to extrapolate their data to people diagnosed with dry eye disease. More research is needed before we can conclude that caffeine is a treatment for people diagnosed with dry eye disease.
The study was published in the journal Optometry & Vision Science and examined 41 health volunteers aged 20-26
A related study conducted in 2018 found that there was no relationship between the frequency of drinking coffee and dry eye disease, therefore it is not the case that more coffee you drink, the lower your of developing dry eye disease.
The Effect of Caffeine on Tear Secretion
Optom Vis Sci 2013 Nov 14;[EPub Ahead of Print], KA Osei, G Ovenseri-Ogbomo, S Kyei, M Ntodie