Omega-3 Effects Still Inconsistent for Dry Eye of Various Etiologies

Researchers from China recently conducted a meta-analysis to systematically categorize different delivery methods of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as dry eye therapy, hoping to tease out differences in effect due to formulation as well as disease etiology.This meta-analysis and systematic review, published in BMC Ophthalmology, included 27 randomized controlled trials with 3,894 participants from six databases. Dry eye symptom scores, tear breakup time, Schirmer test, corneal fluorescein staining and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) scores were extracted as outcomes.Systemic omega-3 supplementation appeared to improve all assessed outcomes in the overall pooled analysis; however, subgroup analyses revealed the impact of formulation- and etiology-dependent effects.  Omega-3 supplementation yielded benefits in all included measures in the overall pooled analysis. Still, topical omega-3 delivery failed to demonstrate significant benefits compared with artificial tears. Further trials should be conducted to provide more detailed evidence for the applicable conditions of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Photo: CGM Labs. Click image to enlarge. Among systemic long-chain omega-3 formulations, efficacy was etiology-dependent: no significant benefits were observed in MGD-associated dry eye or in cases of unspecified etiology, whereas significant improvements were found in screen-related dry eye and contact lens–associated dry eye. Qualitatively, omega-3 supplements demonstrated beneficial effects in dry eye due to rosacea or Sjögren’s syndrome, but no clinically meaningful improvement was observed in LASIK-induced dry eye.Neither systemic short-chain fatty acids nor the combination of long- and short-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids achieved statistical significance. Furthermore, topical omega-3 delivery failed to demonstrate significant benefits compared with artificial tears. Meta-regression analysis revealed a significant association between omega-3 supplementation and several external factors, including mean age, geographic location, assessment methodologies, omega-3 dose and publication year.“While pooled estimates indicate that systemic omega-3 improves dry eye outcomes regardless of etiology, this efficacy may not be reproducible in future trials,” the study authors wrote in their paper. “Prior meta-analyses concluded that omega-3 is broadly effective for dry eye by pooling all formulations and etiologies without stratification; this blanket recommendation may not withstand scrutiny when the therapeutic landscape is examined in finer detail.”The team concluded that indiscriminate use of omega-3 supplements for dry eye management is generally not recommended. Rather, doctors should suggest omega-3 supplementation only when aligned with relevant features of a given case. Click here for the journal source. Chen G, Yan X, Yang S, Li X. The effects of different forms of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on dry eye disease resulting from various etiologies: a meta-analysis and systematic review. BMC Ophthalmol. June 16, 2026. [Epub ahead of print]. This article was developed by the editorial staff in conjunction with experts in the field. In the process, AI may have been among the editorial tools used to meet the goals of human editors, who approved all content.