Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on dry eye following phacoemulsification

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids on dry eye after phacoemulsification. Patients and methods This is a randomized controlled clinical trial which included 50 patients who developed dry eye symptoms following phacoemulsification. They were randomly allocated into two groups, with 25 patients each. The first group received an omega-3 dietary supplementation of 1000 mg in addition to the conventional treatment (artificial tears and anti-inflammatory eye drops) for 3 months. The second group received only artificial tears and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Both groups received treatment from September 2019 to March 2020, and they were followed up for 3 months. All patients had the same diagnostic tests (Schirmer test, ocular surface disease index, and tear break-up time), postoperatively. Results There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the demographic data. However, a significant difference was noted in the tear break-up time test scores (11.08±3.29 and 9.20±1.87 s) in the treatment and control groups, respectively. In addition, the ocular surface disease index showed a statistically significant difference between the treatment and control groups (19.41±9.69 and 31.23±11.66, respectively) after 3 months. No significant difference ( P =0.186) was noted in the Schirmer test between the treatment and the control groups (9.16±2.72 and 8.12±2.76 mm, respectively). Conclusions The study showed that the addition of omega-3 fatty acid supplements after phacoemulsification can reduce the incidence of dry eye and improve both the objective and subjective measurements of dry eye.