Dry eye syndrome improves with omega-3 and omega-6 taken for 6 months

Dry eye syndrome: 6 months of Omega 3 and Omega 6 to improve condition

According to a study recently published in the journal Cornea Supplementation with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids could reduce the symptom parade of dry eye syndrome. When it comes to dry eye, dry keratoconjunctivitis or dry eye, refers to the disorder caused by poor tear fluid production due to partial or total atrophy of the lacrimal glands or due to excessive evaporation of the tear film.  This disorder can be attributable to primary or secondary causes: syndrome of Sjörgenis an example of dry eye from a primary cause, a consequence of an autoimmune disease. While dry eye from secondary causes determines the onset of the disorder as a result of, for example, blepharitis, conjunctivitis or prolonged contact lens wear.

Dry eye syndrome: women are the most affected

Those who suffer most from dry eye are women between the ages of 40 and 60. Those affected by the problem complain of burning, foreign body sensation in the eye, photophobia, difficulty opening the eyelid upon awakening, and in severe cases pain and blurred vision. Proper eye hydration is essential for living with the disorder, but often this measure alone does not adequately reduce symptoms.

Dry eye syndrome: the study

According to a study recently published in the journal Cornea and conducted by a team of researchers from the Lee Laboratory for Ocular Pharmacology at Eastern Virginia Medical School led by Professor John Sheppard, dietary supplementation with omega-3 fish oil EPA and DHA and omega-6 GLA could contribute to eye health in people with dry keratoconjunctivitis with severe to moderate symptoms. 

The researchers enrolled 38 postmenopausal women for the study and completely randomly invited them to take for 6 months either an omega 3 EPA (125mg) and DHA (99mg) supplement combined with omega 6 gamma linoleic acid GLA (240mg) and antioxidants or a placebo.

Symptoms improve due to reduced inflammation

The women who took the supplement showed, already after 3 months of supplementation, a significant reduction in the signs of eye irritation characteristic of their problem and a smoother cornea compared with the placebo-treated patients. Nutritional supplementation in the patients blocked the progression of inflammation, while in the women taking placebo, irritation and inflammation worsened markedly during the 6-month study period. 

Tear production as well as the relative time to release were equal between the two groups. This showed that supplementation with essential fatty acids produced an improvement in symptomatology by reducing inflammation and not by increased tear production. 

The study was conducted on postmenopausal women, a representation of the population that most suffers from the disorder, but it is likely that supplementation with omega-3 and omega-6 could also be of relief in other categories of patients suffering from dry eye. Further studies are certainly needed on the topic. It might be useful to point out here one of our supplements, Omegor Twinefa, which combines highly concentrated omega-3 EPA and DHA with omega-6 GLA. Tags: dry eye syndrome, omega-3, omega-6 

Source: Sheppard, John D. Jr, Singh, Ruhi, McClellan, Andrew J., et al. "Long-term Supplementation With n-6 and n-3 PUFAs Improves Moderate-to-Severe Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial." Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1097/ICO.0b013e318299549c