Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25193932›Full record

SynthesisMedical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research2014

Omega-3 essential fatty acids therapy for dry eye syndrome: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies.

Aihua Liu, Jian Ji

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
31citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
9.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

31 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 80 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids for dry eye disease.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Semifluorinated Alkane Eye Drops for Treatment of Dry Eye Disease Due to Meibomian Gland Disease.Journal of ocular pharmacology and therapeutics : the official journal of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics · 2017
    Trial
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Observational
  10. Pregnancy and Dry Eye Syndrome: A Review for Clinical Practice.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Aihua LiuTianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University Eye Institute, Tianjin, China (mainland).
Jian JiTianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University Eye Institute, Tianjin, China (mainland).
Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDry eye is a common, complex condition that can reduce ocular comfort and visual performance. The impact on quality of life has been rated as similar to the effect of moderate angina and, in more severe cases, dialysis and severe angina. This study aimed to use meta-analysis to compare omega-3 fatty acid and placebo fatty acid in the management of dry eye syndrome. MATERIAL AND

methodsComparative studies published until 1 June 2014 were searched through a comprehensive search of the Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library electronic databases. A systematic review and cumulative analysis of comparative studies reporting the effect of omega-3 fatty acid on dry eye syndrome was conducted. All analyses were performed using the Review Manager (RevMan) v.5 software (Nordic Cochrane Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark).

resultsThe trials involved a total of 790 participants in 7 independent studies. All the studies are published between 2007 and 2013. Meta-analysis of the 5 studies that reported data in mean SD values revealed that the tear break-up time (TBUT) was significantly greater by 1.58 s (WMD=1.58, 95% CI=0.60 to 2.55; P=0.007). Combination of all the Schirmer's test data showed that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation could significantly improve the Schirmer's test (WMD=0.74, 95% CI=0.29 to 1.19; P=0.001). However, the combination of all the OSDI test data showed that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation did not significantly improve the OSDI test results (WMD=-4.54, 95% CI=-9.85 to 0.78; P=0.09).

conclusionsBased on the data included in our meta-analysis, omega-3 fatty acid was associated with better TBUT and Schirmer's. No significant differences were detected in OSDI test results. Consequently, our findings suggest that omega-3 fatty acid offers is an effective therapy for dry eye syndrome.

Indexed as

Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicDry Eye SyndromesFatty Acids, Omega-3FemaleHumansMalePublication BiasTearsFatty Acids, Omega-3

Identifiers

PMID25193932
PMCPMC4165511
OpenAlexW2155910067

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.