Despite their popularity, omega-3 supplements do not benefit people with dry eye disease. However, the supplement does not cause any adverse effects. The condition results in eye discomfort or, in some cases, vision problems.
It can occur in otherwise healthy people and is more common in older people and women. However, dry eye disease differs from occasional dry eyes caused by environmental factors. Sometimes, dry eye disease results from meibomian gland dysfunction or a condition called meibomianitis, which changes the normal tear film.
The meibomian gland is the oil gland lining the eyelashes. According to the American Academy of Opthalmology (AAO), about 20 million people in the United States and 344 million globally suffer from dry eye disease. Signs and symptoms of dry eye disease often include the feeling of a foreign body (like sand) in the eye, eye irritation, photophobia, blurry vision that may improve with blinking, mucus discharge, and excessive tearing.
The AAO reports that the condition currently lacks standardized medical care. This stems from signs and symptoms that don’t always line up, no standardized terminology, and a limited range of diagnostic tests available to ophthalmologists. During the study, participants were randomly assigned to receive either a fish-derived omega-3 or grapeseed oil supplement.
Both supplements were taken daily for 12 weeks. Baseline measurements were taken at six and 12 weeks. These included outcomes pertaining to the meibomian.
