Omega-3 fatty acids confer no protective effect against dry eye disease

Supplementation with marine ω-3 fatty acids falls short of reducing the incidence of dry eye disease (DED), as shown a study.

The study used data from the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL) and included 23,523 adults (mean age 67.0 years, 48.3 percent women) who at study entry were free of a previous diagnosis of DED and were not experiencing severe dry eye symptoms. They were randomized to receive marine ω-3 fatty acid supplement of 1 g per day (n=11,757) or placebo (n=11,766).

In the population, 4,610 participants (20.0 percent) self-identified as Black, 16,481 (71.6 percent) as non-Hispanic White, and 1,927 (8.4 percent) as other racial or ethnic groups, including American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

Over a median 5.3 years of treatment and follow-up, the primary endpoint of incident clinically diagnosed DED was reported in 472 participants (2.0 percent) overall. The incidence did not differ significantly between the ω-3 fatty acid and the placebo groups (232 [2.0 percent] vs 240 [2.0 percent]; hazard ratio [HR], 0.97, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.81–1.16).

Likewise, the secondary endpoint of diagnosed DED plus incident severe DED symptoms was similar in the active treatment and placebo groups (1,044 [8.9 percent] vs 1,074 [9.1 percent]; HR, 0.97, 95 percent CI, 0.89–1.06).

The present data do not support the use of marine ω-3 fatty acid supplements in reducing the incidence of DED.