Dry Eye: New Evidence of Omega-3 Effectiveness for Dry Eye
Dry eyes: spending all day at the computer is harmful to the health of our eyes. How can we prevent or at least improve the discomfort of dry eyes?
Perhaps with omega-3. A recent study has shown that daily dietary supplementation with omega-3 could indeed bring considerable benefits:
- improving symptoms of dry eye related to prolonged exposure to computer screens and other electronic devices
- reducing tear evaporation
- generally improving eye health.
Who is affected by dry eye?
“The widespread use of the internet and computers has led to a considerable increase in the incidence of dry eye syndrome in young patients and middle-aged individuals, and in general among those working in offices. It is remarkable because dry eye has so far been prevalent in the elderly female population.” “The fact that the incidence of this condition has now increased in the general young population highlights the growing impact of computers as a causal factor for dry eye syndrome,” write the authors of the study in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, the official journal of the British Contact Lens Association. According to the data collected in the study led by Rahul Bhargava of the Laser Eye Clinic in Noida: “Daily supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids brought considerable benefits in the group of patients who took omega-3: at the end of the study, 70% of these were completely free of dry eye symptoms – compared to just 14.9% of patients in the placebo group.”
Dry eye: could omega-3 cure it?
The number of studies proving the benefits of omega-3 for dry eye is growing. However, we are still far from being able to say that omega-3 cures dry eye syndrome. Indeed, although there are many studies, “it is difficult to compare results and so all scientific evidence remains, in fact, inconclusive,” reminds Harry Rice, of GOED – one of the leading global authorities in the world of Omega-3.
But what is dry eye?
- Dry eye is a multifactorial disorder affecting both the tear film and the surface of the eye;
- diagnostic tests for dry eye syndrome – TBUT, Schirmer test, OSDI – are not standardized;
- and some of these tests are poorly associated with the symptoms reported by patients.
The study
The study involved 478 people suffering from dry eyes who have used the computer daily for at least 3 hours for over a year. The researchers divided the patients into two groups:
- The first group followed a daily dietary supplementation of omega-3 equal to 360mg EPA and 240mg DHA for three months;
- the second group took a placebo – olive oil, hopefully extra virgin – also for three months.
- During these three months, researchers collected a great deal of data: changes in dry eye symptoms, Schirmer test results, TBUT, and more.
“Significant improvement in dry eye symptoms and in all diagnostic test results was observed in the omega-3 group,” write the researchers, who concluded that daily supplementation of omega-3 DHA and EPA:
- increases the stability of the tear film that keeps the eye hydrated;
- decreases tear evaporation – that is, the process by which the patient feels their eyes “drying.”
“In conclusion, dietary intake of omega-3 causes a significant improvement of dry eye and slows tear evaporation – as evidenced by the improvement in epithelial cell morphology.”
Dry eye and omega-3, references for further reading
- The researchers who conducted the study are affiliated with these institutions and research clinics: the Laser Eye Clinic in Noida, the Santosh Medical College and Hospital (Ghaziabad), the Rotary Eye Hospital (Maranda), and the Narayan Medical College.
Source: read the full article on Contact Lens and Anterior Eye.
