Omega-3 fatty acids may improve vision in dry AMD
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DENVER — Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may improve vision in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt disease, according to a study.
At the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting, Ekatherine Prokopiou, PhD, said previous preclinical work showed that omega-3 may have protective potential, including for retinal degeneration.
“We used an omega-3 formulation that was rich in EPA,” Prokopiou told Healio/OSN. “We believe that this is one of the most important omega-3 fatty acids.”
The effects of omega-3 fatty acids were investigated in a randomized controlled trial in 21 subjects who received placebo or active omega-3 for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint of the study was the number of letters gained in best corrected visual acuity from baseline at 12 weeks and 24 weeks. Subjects also completed a questionnaire on perceived vision at 12 weeks and 24 weeks.
In the active group, the mean BCVA increased from 40.93 letters at screening to 46.93 letters at week 24 (P = .003) compared with no significant increase in the placebo group. When the two groups were compared, a significant difference existed between the active and placebo groups (P = .002). Similar results were found at week 12.
Although the mean score of the questionnaire was similar between the two groups at week 12, the score was higher in the active group at 9.38 compared with the placebo group at 7.28 at week 24.
Prokopiou said that omega-3 fatty acid supplements that are rich in EPA can improve objective and subjective vision in patients with AMD.
“This is something that is quite simple, well tolerated in patients so they don’t have adverse effects, and it’s something that you see the effects in both eyes,” Prokopiou said. “We believe that it could be something that could be used as an official supplement to these patients in order to improve their vision and to prevent the progression of the disease.”
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Prokopiou E, et al. A prospective, randomised, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessing the potential effects of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on dry age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt disease. Presented at: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting; May 1-4, 2022; Denver.
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