Omega-3 fatty acids supplements for dry eye - Are they effective or ineffective?

Purpose: To evaluate effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in relieving dry eye symptoms and signs in symptomatic visual display terminal users (VDT). Methods: A randomized controlled study was done; eyes of 470 VDT users were randomized to receive four capsules twice daily for 6 months (O...

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Published in:Indian journal of ophthalmology 2023-04, Vol.71 (4), p.1619-1625
Main Authors: Bhargava, Rahul, Pandey, Kankambari, Ranjan, Somesh, Mehta, Bhavya, Malik, Anu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Care and treatment
Cell density
Conjunctiva
Cytology
Dietary Supplements
Docosahexaenoic acid
Double-Blind Method
Dry eye syndromes
Dry Eye Syndromes - diagnosis
Dry Eye Syndromes - drug therapy
Eicosapentaenoic acid
Eye
Fatty acids
Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - pharmacology
Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - therapeutic use
goblet cell density
Humans
Olive oil
Omega-3 fatty acids
omega-3 index
Original
Osmolarity
Placebos
Supplements
tear film osmolarity
Tears
Testing
visual display terminal users
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Summary:Purpose: To evaluate effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in relieving dry eye symptoms and signs in symptomatic visual display terminal users (VDT). Methods: A randomized controlled study was done; eyes of 470 VDT users were randomized to receive four capsules twice daily for 6 months (O3FAgroup), each containing 180 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid and 120 mg docosahexaenoic acid. The O3FA group was compared with another group (n = 480) who received four capsules of a placebo (olive oil) twice daily. Patients were evaluated at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months, respectively. The primary outcome was improvement in omega-3 index (a measure of EPA and DHA ratio in RBC membrane). Secondary outcomes were improvement dry eye symptoms, Nelson grade on conjunctival impression cytology, Schirmer test values, tear film breakup time (TBUT), and tear film osmolarity. Means of groups (pre-treatment, 1, 3, and 6-months) were compared with repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: At baseline, 81% patients had low omega-3 index. In the O3FA group, a significant increase in omega-3 index, improvement in symptoms, reduction in tear film osmolarity, and increase in Schirmer, TBUT, and goblet cell density was observed. These changes were not significant in the placebo group. Improvement in test parameters was significantly (P < 0.001) better in patients with low omega3 index (
ISSN:0301-4738
1998-3689
DOI:10.4103/IJO.IJO_2789_22