Trial reportIndian journal of ophthalmology2023
Omega-3 fatty acids supplements for dry eye - Are they effective or ineffective?
Trial report in Indian journal of ophthalmology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of a High-Fat Diet on Eye Health.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Omega-3 fatty acids and tear cytokines modulation in dry eye patients with low omega-3 index. Have the beneficiaries been pinpointed?Indian journal of ophthalmology · 2026Trial
- Immune inflammatory targets and anti-inflammatory therapy in dry eye disease.International ophthalmology · 2026Review
- Review
- Interventions for digital eye strain in adolescents: a structured review with supporting evidence from young adult populations.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- From the Ocular Surface to Neurophysiology: An Integrative Review of Digital Eye Strain.Clinical optometry · 2026Review
- Potential ocular health benefit of short-term omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on the ocular tear film: An observational study.Medicine · 2025Observational
- A narrative literature review about alpha-lipoic acid role in dry eye and ocular surface disease.Acta ophthalmologica · 2025Review
- [Nutritional therapy in ophthalmology-patients' interest and motivation].Die Ophthalmologie · 2025Article
- Injectable homologous platelet-rich plasma, alone or in combination with oral omega-3 supplementation, for treating keratoconjunctivitis sicca in dogs.Veterinary world · 2025Article
- Comparison of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids bioavailability in fish oil and krill oil: Network Meta-analyses.Food chemistry: X · 2024Article
- Efficacy of Omega-3 Intake in Managing Dry Eye Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- The Effect of Hydroxypropyl Guar-Hyaluronic Acid Dual-Polymer Eye Drops on Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in Tears of Patients with Computer Vision Syndrome.Journal of current ophthalmologyArticle
- Restoring the mucin barrier: Advances in secretagogue therapies for ocular surface disorders.Taiwan journal of ophthalmologyReview
- Evaluation of Inflammatory Cytokines in Tears of Individuals with Dry Eye Related to Prolonged Computer Use.Journal of current ophthalmologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in relieving dry eye symptoms and signs in symptomatic visual display terminal users (VDT). Methods: A randomized controlled study was done; eyes of 470 VDT users were randomized to receive four capsules twice daily for 6 months (O3FAgroup), each containing 180 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid and 120 mg docosahexaenoic acid. The O3FA group was compared with another group (n = 480) who received four capsules of a placebo (olive oil) twice daily. Patients were evaluated at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months, respectively. The primary outcome was improvement in omega-3 index (a measure of EPA and DHA ratio in RBC membrane). Secondary outcomes were improvement dry eye symptoms, Nelson grade on conjunctival impression cytology, Schirmer test values, tear film breakup time (TBUT), and tear film osmolarity. Means of groups (pre-treatment, 1, 3, and 6-months) were compared with repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: At baseline, 81% patients had low omega-3 index. In the O3FA group, a significant increase in omega-3 index, improvement in symptoms, reduction in tear film osmolarity, and increase in Schirmer, TBUT, and goblet cell density was observed. These changes were not significant in the placebo group. Improvement in test parameters was significantly (P < 0.001) better in patients with low omega3 index (<4%) subgroup. Conclusion: Dietary omega-3 fatty acids are effective for dry eye in VDT users; omega-3 index appears to be the predictor to identify potential dry eye patients who are likely to benefit from oral omega-3 dietary intervention.
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Registered trials
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.