The study results showed that there was a reduction in dry eye symptoms and an increase in tear volume and tear flow in patients receiving TheraTears Nutrition, an optimized blend of medical grade essential omega-3 oils, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and flaxseed oil.
About 70% of symptomatic dry eye patients who received omega-3 supplement reported having no symptoms of dry eye after 90 days, as measured by a validated test called the Ocular Surface Disease Index.
In the placebo group, only 7% of the patients experienced complete reduction of symptoms.
The study also showed that supplementation with TheraTears Nutrition, when compared to placebo, lead to a 0.10 microliters/min higher tear flow and 0.94 microliters higher tear volume, two objective parameters key to the improvement of disease in patients with dry eye.
Cornea article study author James P McCulley said this study demonstrates the potential of TheraTears Nutrition in reducing the debilitating effects of dry eye from both the patient and physician perspective.
"While this provides interesting insight into the effects of supplementation on dry eye disease, more research should be done to fully understand how these omega-3s work on a cellular level," McCulley said.