Omega-3 supplement fails to improve dry eye symptoms linked to MGD
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Key takeaways:
- The mean OSDI change from baseline was –20.5 and –22.7 at 6 and 12 weeks in the omega-3 group vs. –15.1 and –18.8 in the grapeseed oil group.
- Neither group experienced significant change in visual acuity or IOP.
Re-esterified triglyceride omega-3 fatty acid supplementation did not improve symptoms of dry eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction in a small cohort of patients, according to research published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
“Omega-3 fatty acids are strong lipid mediators that play a crucial role in inflammatory regulation by controlling the arachidonic acid pathway and prostaglandin metabolism,” Youngsub Eom, MD, PhD, from the department of ophthalmology at Korea University College of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation changes the fatty acid composition of meibum and promotes [meibomian gland] secretion.”
Seeking to determine whether a systemic re-esterified triglyceride (rTG) form of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation could benefit patients with dry eye disease (DED) associated with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), Eom and colleagues conducted a double-masked, parallel-group trial of 132 patients (mean age, 50.6 years; 78% women) from seven Korean institutions. Participants were randomly assigned to the omega-3 fatty acid group, which received 1,680 mg eicosapentaenoic acid and 560 mg docosahexaenoic acid, or to the grapeseed group, which received 3,000 mg of grapeseed oil daily.
The researchers measured Ocular Surface Disease Index scores at baseline and 6 and 12 weeks, as well as visual acuity and change in IOP.
According to results, the mean OSDI change from baseline was –20.5 at 6 weeks and –22.7 at 12 weeks in the omega-3 group (n = 58) and –15.1 and –18.8, respectively, in the grapeseed group (n = 57), for a difference of –5.4 and –3.9 at 6 and 12 weeks, neither of which reached statistical significance.
No significant changes in mean visual acuity or IOP were reported from baseline to 6 and 12 weeks in either group, nor adverse events related to treatment.
“This randomized clinical trial did not show a benefit of the rTG form of omega-3 for ameliorating symptoms of DED associated with MGD, although fewer than 60 participants were evaluated in each group,” Eom and colleagues wrote. “Any secondary outcomes from this study should be considered for hypothesis generation of future evaluations of the role of the rTG form of omega-3 on DED associated with MGD.”
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts