Natural health with Megan Sheppard: Red-rimmed eyes and gall bladder removal

Megan Sheppard gives her advice on treating red-rimmed eyes and the aftermath of gall bladder removal.

My eyes are very red around the outside rims. I have tried eyewash and drops but these seem to make my eyes itchy. Do you know what causes this and how I can get rid of the redness?

There are a number of potential reasons for red-rimmed eyes, most commonly a deficiency in the B vitamin group or hay fever. It is really the wrong time of the year to be suffering from hay fever, but mould spores, dust mites, and pet dander could be the culprit(s) over the winter months where we tend to keep our windows and doors closed and the heating on.

Blepharitis is another condition worth considering. Symptoms typically include burning, itching, sensitivity to light, tearing/leaking, swelling around the eyes, dry eyes, and crusting of the eyelids upon awakening. If this sounds like you it’s important you see a specialist for a medical diagnosis.

If you work long hours on a computer, then you need to take breaks regularly to rest your eyes and also make sure that you exercise your eyes by changing your focus between near and far objects. This is a very common issue these days since we not only use computers for work, but we spend a great deal of our leisure time using a device with a screen — from our smartphones and tablets through to computers and television.

There are a number of apps designed to remind us to take a break regularly with customisable prompts and time-out parameters. I recommend these for anyone who spends long periods of time working with or using screens of any sort.

In terms of nutrition, refined carbs and caffeine are both responsible for depleting B vitamins, along with continual stress. If this sounds like you, then it is a good idea to tweak your diet and include more whole foods (brown rice, whole grains, nuts and seeds, leafy greens, bananas, avocados, and mushrooms are all rich in valuable B group vitamins). You might also consider a high potency B-complex supplement.

While eating nutrient-rich food and dropping foods low in nutrients is important, absorption is also key. If your gut health is compromised for any reason — from dysbiosis and leaky gut through to diverticulitis, Crohn’s and coeliac disease — then red-rimmed eyes can result from the malabsorption of nutrients within the gut.

Topically, you can soothe your eyes using cooled chamomile tea bags, or cotton pads soaked in rosewater.

Leave the tea bags or pads on the closed eyelids for three to 10 minutes at a time. For blepharitis, you will also want to gently massage the eyelids using a warm flannel for one minute on each eye (use a clean flannel for each eyelid and wash flannels between each use). If you have crusting of the eyelids, then use a cotton ball soaked in warm saline solution.

I’ve had my gall bladder removed and am looking to find ways of consuming essential fats without upsetting my body. I am very sensitive to dietary fats.

One of the main problems after the gall bladder has been removed, as you note, is the processing and absorption of fatty or oily foods. This is also an issue where irritable bowel, gut sensitivities, colitis, and Crohn’s disease are concerned.

The gall bladder is connected to the liver, and stores the bile produced by the liver, passing it into the small bowel to help break down fats as part of the digestive process. Now that you no longer have a gall bladder, you will need to give your liver some extra care and support.

There is a supplement by Biocare that will provide the essential fatty acids in an easily digested form for you, called DriCelle Omega Plex, available from most health stores, where 120g of powder costs around €13 to €14.

The essential fatty acids are locked into a micelle by being microencapsulated into water-soluble fibre and then freeze-dried. This means the fats can be absorbed straight into the intestines without impacting on the liver.