Here's another potential solution that I mentioned on another dry eye thread: maqui berry. It stimulates the lacrimal glands to produce more tears, plus has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. These results have been verified by several studies (see: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10276697/ and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2225411018308691).

Note that both of the studies looked at maqui berry extract. The studies considered 30 - 60 mg of the extract, but you get the same compounds in freeze-dried maqui berry powder and my personal experience suggests that you can get beneficial effect from a daily dose of just 1/2 teaspoon of the powder (roughly equivalent to 15 grams of fresh berries). I just mix it into a half glass of water and drink it down, but you could also add it to yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies, or other things.

I started taking maqui in 2020, after a year and a half of really severe dry eye, so bad that sometimes I would worry that I wouldn't be able to make it home while driving because my eyes were so irritated that closing them was the only way to get relief. It is the only supplement I've ever taken where I felt results the very first day I took it. I've been taking it ever since and have never again experienced a severe dry eye attack, though I can still get some irritation at the end of the day if I've been sitting in front of a computer all day or I'm tired. It's still nothing like the dry eye attacks I used to get.

This stuff only costs around $15 for a 4 month supply, it's available from a number of vendors online, and it's food that people have been eating for thousands of years so you don't have a long list of side effects, though if you're diabetic, you might want to run it past your doctor and monitor your blood sugar levels closely, because it also has the effect of lowering blood sugar. Aside from that or allergy, there's not much to worry about with it.

If I still had the dry eye problem, I would definitely try it before any of the prescription drugs or other options, because it's safe, cheap, easy, and proven in a number of studies to alleviate dry eye. I think in the first study on it I read way back in 2020, it helped 80% of the study participants. It could be that for those it didn't help, their problem was caused by meibomian gland dysfunction or something aside from insufficient tear production. In any case, if you try it and it doesn't work to alleviate your dry eye symptoms, it's still really good for you - it has the highest levels of antioxidants of any of the berries, including blueberry, bilberry, and acai. Try it! And if it works for you too, come back here and let me and everyone else know! Dry eye is so miserable and debilitating; if I can help anyone with this information I want to do it. I've recommended it to several people and it has worked for them, so there's a good chance it will work for you as well.