The study was done to evaluate the clinical outcomes of the systemic rTG form of omega-3 fatty acids in patients with dry eye symptoms after cataract surgery.
66 patients complaining of new-onset non-specific typical dry eye 1 month after uncomplicated cataract surgery were included. Subjects were randomly allocated into control and omega-3 groups based on administration of the systemic rTG form of omega-3 fatty acids for 2 months, in addition to use of artificial teardrop. Ocular surface parameters and Dry Eye Questionnaire [DEQ]) for dry eye were evaluated before and after omega-3 supplementation.
Two months after omega-3 supplementation, the Oxford score was lower in the omega-3 group than in the control group. There was an improvement of subjective symptom scores of OSDI and DEQ in the omega-3 group (both p<0.05). The ratio of increasing MMP-9 level in the omega-3 group was lower than that in the control group (p=0.027).
The study concluded that the rTG form of omega-3 supplementation might be related to reduction of ocular surface inflammation rather than secretion of tears, and it might be effective for non-specific typical dry eye after uncomplicated cataract surgery.
Reference: https://bjo.bmj.com/content/early/2020/09/10/bjophthalmol-2020-317164
