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Dry eye symptoms show improvement after omega-3 fatty acid supplement

Cornea. 2010; doi: 10.1097/ICO.0b013e3181f22e03.

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Tear production and volume increased in patients with dry eye following treatment with an omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplement, a study showed. However, there were no significant changes in meibum lipid composition or aqueous tear evaporation.

"It is evident that some gaps exist in our present understanding of how dietary supplementation with long chain omega-3 fatty acid can affect dry eye physiopathology," the study authors said. "This study suggests that the most promising endpoints for a larger clinical trial would include dry eye symptoms, Schirmer test results, and fluorophotometry."

The prospective, double-masked pilot study assigned 21 patients with dry eye to receive a daily dose of the TheraTears Nutrition omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplement (Advanced Vision Research) for 90 days; an additional 15 control patients received placebo. Each dose of the omega-3 fatty acid supplement contains fish oil, 450 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid, 300 mg of docosahexaenoic acid, and 1,000 mg of flaxseed oil, according to the study.

The investigators assessed the effects of the supplement, particularly flaxseed and fish oils, on meibum lipid composition, aqueous tear evaporation and tear volume.

Patients who received supplementation showed an increase in tear production and volume, as indicated by Schirmer testing and fluorophotometry, the authors said.

Specifically, average tear volume increased from 0.86 ?L at baseline to 0.98 µL after 90 days. Average tear flow increased from 0.13 µL/min at baseline to 0.20 µL/min after 90 days, while average tear flow decreased in controls from 0.16 µL/min to 0.13 µL/min, according to the study.

At final follow-up, 70% of the patients with dry eye symptoms became asymptomatic and 30% of patients experienced an improvement in dry eye symptoms from moderate to mild.

However, there was no statistically significant effect on meibum lipid composition or aqueous tear evaporation rate, the study authors said.