Best Supplements for Dry Eyes: What Helps, What Doesn't, and What to Try First

Dry eye happens when your eyes don't make enough tears or your tears don't work well. It causes burning, a scratchy feeling, redness, light sensitivity and blurry vision (NEI). Common triggers include medicines for colds and allergies, depression and high blood pressure, the hormone changes of menopause, and long screen time, when you blink less (NEI). Dry indoor air in winter adds to it. Here is what helps first, and what the supplement trials found.

The short version

• Drops and habits come first. Lubricating drops with hyaluronic acid raised tear production a little more than other drops. B Grade B (Yang 2021; NEI).
• Fish oil did no better than placebo in the largest trial. B Grade B for no clear benefit (DREAM 2018).
• Supplements as a group: a 2026 analysis found effects small or uncertain and did not support routine use; the reviewers rated the certainty of every comparison low or very low. C Grade C (Alamoudi 2026).
• Vitamin D improved tear tests in people who were deficient. C Grade C (Najjaran 2023).
• Probiotics, curcumin, krill oil and lactoferrin each have one or two small positive trials. C Grade C (Tavakoli 2022; Kapil 2025; Deinema 2017; Devendra 2015).

What helps dry eyes most?

Drops and simple habits, not pills. Artificial tears are the usual first treatment for mild dry eye; for more serious dry eye, an eye doctor may prescribe cyclosporine or lifitegrast drops (NEI). Cochrane reviewers, looking at 43 trials with 3,497 people, judged that over-the-counter tears may be safe and effective, on low-quality evidence (Pucker 2016). B Grade B that hyaluronic acid drops help a little more: across 19 studies (2,078 cases) they gave slightly more tear production than drops without it (Yang 2021). This is about eye drops; these trials did not test hyaluronic acid pills. See our hyaluronic acid page.

C Grade C for home habits. In people whose dry eye comes from blocked eyelid oil glands (meibomian gland dysfunction), warm compresses or heated eyelid masks used for 2 to 3 months improved symptoms in two small trials, though neither had an untreated group and tear break-up time and tear amount did not change (Sim 2014; Murphy 2020). In 44 computer users, an hour beside a desktop humidifier lengthened tear break-up time by 4.0 seconds, and 36% reported more comfort against 5% without it (Wang 2017). For screen-related eye strain, an expert report says better blinking, a better work setup and regular breaks may help, and blue-light-blocking glasses do not appear to (Wolffsohn 2023). NEI also suggests avoiding smoke, wind and air conditioning, and wearing wraparound sunglasses outdoors (NEI).

Does fish oil help dry eyes?

B Grade B for no clear benefit. The biggest test, the DREAM trial, ran for a year in 535 people whose dry eye was moderate to severe; fish oil and an olive oil placebo brought similar gains (DREAM 2018). Our fish oil question page has the full detail and the heart-rhythm risk.

Newer studies add detail. In a 2024 trial of 132 people with meibomian gland dysfunction (blocked oil glands in the eyelids), a re-esterified triglyceride form of omega-3 did no better than grape-seed oil at 6 or 12 weeks (Eom 2024). A 2026 review of 27 trials saw no significant gain in dry eye from blocked oil glands or in trials that did not specify a cause, but did see gains in screen-related and contact-lens dry eye; overall it found no consistent benefit (Chen 2026); it also described benefit in dry eye linked to rosacea or Sjögren's. A review of computer users found low-certainty evidence that omega-3 eased dry eye symptoms (2 trials) (Singh 2022). See our omega-3 page.

Is krill oil better than fish oil for dry eyes?

C Grade C, from one trial. Over 90 days, among 60 people whose dry eye was mild to moderate, tear osmolarity (how salty tears are) fell more on krill oil and on fish oil than on an olive oil placebo, but only krill oil eased symptoms more than placebo (Deinema 2017). One small trial is not enough to call krill oil better. See our krill oil page.

Does vitamin D help dry eyes?

C Grade C for people who are low; trials have not tested it in people with normal levels. When 100 people with dry eye and vitamin D under 20 ng/mL were randomly assigned, adding vitamin D by mouth to artificial tears for 8 weeks improved tear production, tear stability and tear osmolarity more than tears alone (Najjaran 2023). A 2026 non-randomized study of 34 deficient people found similar gains at 3 months (Aslanova 2026). A review pooling before-and-after changes in 8 studies (439 cases) also found improvement, though its summary does not say whether every study gave vitamin D by mouth (Chen 2024), and people with dry eye average lower levels (10 studies, 18,919 people) (Liu 2020). A 2026 review of vitamin trials judged none to be high quality (Heidari 2026). Test before you treat.

Upper limit for adults: 4,000 IU of vitamin D a day, because more can raise blood calcium too high; take more only with blood tests or your clinician's advice (NIH ODS; check your stack). See our vitamin D page.

Does vitamin A help dry eyes?

D Grade D. NEI lists low vitamin A intake as a risk factor for dry eye (NEI). But the clearest oral trial we found gave 30 young men with dry eye vitamin A for 3 days, with no placebo group: one test of tear quality (ferning) improved, but tear osmolarity (how salty tears are) got worse, and tear amount and tear break-up time did not change (Alanazi 2019). Upper limit for adults: 3,000 mcg (10,000 IU) of preformed vitamin A a day, because more can cause birth defects and liver damage; take more only with blood tests or your clinician's advice (NIH ODS; check your stack).

Does lactoferrin help dry eyes?

C Grade C, and only after cataract surgery. Lactoferrin is a protein found in tears and milk. In one trial of 64 people after cataract surgery, with no placebo, those given lactoferrin by mouth had longer tear break-up time from day 14 on (13.9 against 7.86 seconds at day 60), and fewer had symptoms (26.6% against 42.8%) (Devendra 2015). No trial in everyday dry eye was found. See our lactoferrin page.

Do probiotics help dry eyes?

C Grade C, two small trials of different products. In one trial of 41 people, 4 months of probiotics plus prebiotics gave better symptom scores than placebo (Tavakoli 2022), but a later paper on the same trial found no change in tear or blood inflammation markers (Tavakoli 2026). In 68 volunteers, a single Streptococcus thermophilus strain for 35 days improved symptoms, tear saltiness and tear break-up time; changes on placebo were not significant (Yen 2025). See our probiotics page.

Does curcumin help dry eyes?

C Grade C. In a 3-month trial of 40 people with mild to moderate dry eye, all using lubricating drops, the group taking an absorption-enhanced curcumin improved in symptom scores and tear stability, but not in the Schirmer tear test or eye-surface staining (Kapil 2025). In 45 people using hyaluronic acid drops, adding a curcumin-phospholipid tablet for 90 days improved redness and symptoms more than drops alone (Borselli 2023). Only one trial used a placebo. NCCIH warns that high-absorption curcumin products have been linked to liver damage (NCCIH). See our curcumin page.

What about GLA, sea buckthorn, maqui berry and flaxseed?

C Grade C for each, from small trials:

• GLA (gamma-linolenic acid, in evening primrose oil). Tablets of linoleic acid and GLA for 45 days eased symptoms and eye-surface inflammation more than placebo in 26 people (Barabino 2003), but evening primrose oil did no better than placebo on eye tests in 28 people with Sjögren's (Oxholm 1986).
• Sea buckthorn oil. In 86 adults aged 20 to 75 who finished a trial, 2 g a day for 3 months over fall and winter held down the rise in tear osmolarity better than placebo, with mixed effects on redness and burning (Larmo 2010).
• Maqui berry. In 20 people with dry eye, the extract for 2 months improved symptom scores and tear production more than placebo (Kundu 2023); a 2026 review called the eye results its most consistent, from small, short trials (Arce-Johnson 2026).
• Flaxseed oil. In 38 women with Sjögren's, 1 or 2 g a day for 6 months improved symptoms and tear tests more than placebo (Pinheiro 2007). See our flaxseed page.

How do the options compare?

What we'd skip

• Berry-extract pills for screen eyes. In computer users, oral berry extracts did no better than placebo for dry eye symptoms (4 trials) (Singh 2022).
• Blue-light-blocking glasses. They did not reduce eye-strain symptoms in 3 trials (Singh 2022).
• Astaxanthin for dry eye. The only study we found had no comparison group (Tian 2021). See our astaxanthin page.
• Vitamin A pills unless a clinician finds a deficiency. The evidence is a few small, short studies, and too much preformed vitamin A is harmful (Alanazi 2019; Heidari 2026).
• High-dose fish oil (above 1 g a day), especially if you are older or have heart disease or heart rhythm problems. In 7 heart trials (81,210 people), omega-3 pills raised the rate of atrial fibrillation, a heart-rhythm disorder, and more so in trials above 1 g a day (Gencer 2021).

Safety and interactions

• Fish oil or krill oil with a blood thinner: ask your prescriber or pharmacist first; see can I take fish oil with Eliquis?.
• Curcumin: stop and call your clinician if you notice tiredness, nausea, dark urine or yellow skin, the liver warning signs NCCIH lists (NCCIH).
• Vitamin D and vitamin A have adult upper limits (in their sections). Taking several products? Check your stack against the upper limits.
• Probiotics, lactoferrin, maqui and sea buckthorn: No interaction studies were found.
• Your medicines: cold and allergy, depression and blood pressure medicines can dry the eyes (NEI). Don't stop a prescribed medicine on your own; ask the prescriber or pharmacist.
• If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or under 18, ask a clinician.

When to see a doctor

• Eye pain, red eyes, blurry vision, floaters or strong light sensitivity: see an eye doctor right away, since these can signal inflammation inside the eye (NEI).
• Dry eyes plus a dry mouth, joint pain or tiredness: ask about Sjögren's disease, an autoimmune condition that attacks the glands that make tears and saliva (NIAMS).
• Dryness that gets in the way of daily life, or doesn't settle with drops: severe untreated dry eye can damage the cornea, the clear front of the eye (NEI).
• New dryness after starting a medicine: ask the prescriber; don't stop it on your own.
• Pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18: ask a clinician before you start any supplement.

FAQ

What are the best supplements for dry eyes? None reliably beats drops and habits. Vitamin D helped tear tests in people who were deficient (grade C), and probiotics, curcumin, krill oil and lactoferrin (after cataract surgery) each have one or two small positive trials (grade C).

Does fish oil help dry eyes? Probably not much: in a year-long trial of 535 people whose dry eye was moderate to severe, fish oil did no better than an olive oil placebo (grade B for no clear benefit).

Which form of omega-3 is best for dry eyes? No form has been shown to work best. A re-esterified triglyceride form did not beat grape-seed oil in 132 people with blocked eyelid oil glands, and krill oil eased symptoms in one 60-person trial in mild to moderate dry eye (grade C).

Should I take vitamin D for dry eyes? Only if a blood test finds a deficiency. In 100 people with dry eye and low vitamin D, adding it to artificial tears for 8 weeks improved tear tests (grade C).

Why are my eyes drier in winter? Dry indoor air plays a part. NEI suggests a humidifier, and in 44 computer users a desktop humidifier improved tear stability and comfort within an hour (grade C).

Do screens cause dry eyes? You blink less when you look at a screen, which can dry the eyes. Regular breaks and better blinking may help; blue-light glasses did not reduce eye-strain symptoms in trials.

Related pages

• Dry eye protocol · Eye health protocol · Rosacea protocol
• Does fish oil help dry eye? · Fish oil with Eliquis
• Fish oil · Omega-3 fatty acids · Krill oil · Vitamin D · Lactoferrin · Probiotics · Curcumin · Hyaluronic acid · Flaxseed · Astaxanthin
• Check my stack · How we grade

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