Dry eye, new evidence for effectiveness of omega-3s for dry eye

Dry eyes, being at the computer all day is detrimental to the health of our eyes. How can we prevent or, at least, improve the discomfort of dry eyes?

Perhaps with omega-3s. A recent study showed that daily dietary supplementation with omega-3s could actually bring considerable benefits:

• Improving symptoms of dry eye related to prolonged exposure to computer screens and other electronic devices
• By decreasing evaporation of tear fluid
• Improving overall eye health.

Dry eye, who is affected?

"The rampant use of the Internet and computers has led to a considerable increase in the incidence of dry eye syndrome in young andmiddle-aged and in general among those office workers. It is remarkable becausedry eye has so far been prevalent in the elderly female population". "Thefact that there is now an increased incidence of this condition in the young population in general makes clear the - increasing - impact of computers as a causative factor in dry eye syndrome," write the study authors 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 research, 70 percent of them were completely free of dry eye symptoms -- compared with just 14.9 percent of patients in the group who took only placebo."

Dry eye, will we be able to cure ourselves with omega-3s?

Thus, the number of studies proving the the benefits of omega-3s in dry eye. But we are still far from being able to say that omega-3s cure dry eye syndrome. In fact, although there are many studies, "it is difficult to comparenand results and so all the scientific evidence remains, in fact, inconclusive," Harry Rice, of GOED-one of the leading global authorities in the world of omega-3s-reminds us.

But what is dry eye? 

• Dry eye is a multifactorial disorder, affecting both the tear fluid and the surface of the eye;
• diagnostic tests of dry eye syndrome - TBUT, Schirmer test, OSDI - are not standardized;
• and some of these tests are poorly associated with patient reporting of symptoms.

The study

The study involved 478 people suffering from dry eye and who had been using PCs daily for at least one year for at least 3 hours. The researchers divided the patients into two groups:

• The first group followed daily omega-3 dietary supplementation of 360mg EPA and 240mg DHA for three months;
• The second group took a placebo - olive oil, hopefully extra virgin - again for three months.
• Over the course of these three months, researchers collected a lot of data: the variation of dry eye symptoms, Schirmer's test, TBUT and more.

"In the omega-3 group there was significant improvement in dry eye symptoms and in the results of all diagnostic tests," write the researchers, who say 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 perceives the eye "drying out."

"In conclusion, dietary consumption of omega-3 causes significant improvement in dry eye and slows tear evaporation-as made evident by improved morphology of epithelial cells."

Dry eye and omega-3, references for further study

• The researchers who conducted the study are affiliated with these research institutions and clinics: the Laser Eye Clinic in Noida, Santosh Medical College and Hospital (Ghaziabad), Rotary Eye Hospital (Maranda) and Narayan Medical College.

Source: read the full article at Contact Lens and Anterior Eye.