We all know that calcium is beneficial for our bones, but now it seems to be helpful for our eyes as well.

Dr. Kazuo Tsubota and his colleagues at Japan’s Tokyo Dental Hospital randomly assigned 18 dry eye patients to use either a petroleum-based ointment containing calcium or a placebo petroleum ointment that didn’t contain calcium. The patients applied the ointment to their lower eyelids. After 3 months, both groups saw improvement in their symptoms, which suggested a beneficial effect from the petroleum. However, on eye tests, the group that was using the ointment that contained calcium showed some additional benefits, too, such as improved blink patterns.