Polyunsaturated fatty acids treatment shows improved outcomes for patients with nonspecific typical dry eye disease, in particular as a short-term intervention.
In this research, randomized clinical trials were searched from various databases, which included Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science, all investigating the impact of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on patients with nonspecific typical dry eye disease. The trials were conducted until March 2019. A total of thirteen eligible clinical trials with 1782 patients were eventually included. Specific data points such as tear breakup time, Schirmer's test, osmolarity, and ocular surface disease index were extracted by two independent reviewers. A pairwise meta-analysis was undertaken using means and standard deviations under a random-effects model for various outcomes.
This research demonstrated that patients who received treatment solely with PUFAs showed significant improvements in specific observations such as tear breakup time, Schirmer's test scores, osmolarity, and ocular surface disease index when compared with patients who only received a placebo. However, it was noted that the positive effects of PUFAs on tear breakup time and ocular surface disease index scores decreased as the duration of treatment increased. Despite this, PUFAs were found to be effective for treating nonspecific typical dry eye disease, especially as a short-term treatment option and displayed few adverse events. The study therefore concluded that PUFA supplements could be beneficial to patients with nonspecific typical dry eye disease who are not using other types of eye medication concurrently.
