’Novel’ fatty acid supplement improves dry eye symptoms
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Symptoms of dry eye disease were significantly improved in patients taking a new combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, according to a double-masked, parallel group study published in Optometry and Vision Science.
“This is the first study to show significant improvements in dry eye symptoms in a cohort of extremely symptomatic participants with dry eye disease, associated with
eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and -linoleic acid supplementation,” Alison Ng, PhD, FAAO, of the Centre for Ocular Research & Education at the University of Waterloo in Canada, and colleagues wrote.
Researchers analyzed data from 50 participants with moderate-to-severe dry eye disease, ranging in age from 19 to 70 years, who were divided into two groups. The first group received the treatment supplement of 1,200 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid, 300 mg of docosahexaenoic acid and 150 mg of -linoleic acid, while the control group was given a placebo.
Ng and colleagues evaluated participants at baseline, 1 month and 3 months using Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye questionnaires, noninvasive tear breakup time, tear meniscus height, ocular redness, surface staining, Schirmer test and meibography. They also conducted omega-3 index blood tests at baseline and the 3-month visit to assess patient compliance. Although participants were allowed to continue using artificial tear and ocular lubricating drops as needed throughout the study, they were advised not to start any new therapies and refrain from using treatments for at least 1 hour before study visits.
Both supplement and placebo groups showed notable improvements in OSDI scores at 3 months, with the treatment group dropping 13.4 points (P = .003) and the placebo group dropping 7.8 points (P = .02). Thirteen participants in the treatment group with OSDI scores greater than 52 at baseline experienced especially significant improvement at 3 months with reductions of 20.8 points (P = .002). In addition, omega-3 index blood test scores increased by 34% in the treatment group (P < .001), while the placebo group saw no change.
Researchers concluded that in highly symptomatic patients, the omega-3 and omega-6 supplement significantly improved the symptoms of dry eye disease in a range considered “clinically beneficial,” according to the study.
“The addition of the omega-6 -linoleic acid in this formulation may have contributed to the significant improvement in dry eye symptoms by providing an additional route in the production of anti-inflammatory eicosanoids,” Ng and colleagues wrote. “Given the promising findings of dietary supplementation reported in this small sample of participants with extreme symptoms and that dietary supplementation is currently recommended in early stages of the disease management protocol, further research in highly symptomatic participants is warranted.”
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