OMEGA-3s MAY FIGHT DRY EYE SYNDROME

WOBURN, MA, December 8, 2005--Dry eye syndrome in women may be caused by a dietary deficiency of omega-3s—essential fatty acids usually provided in the diet by fish such as tuna or salmon, according to a new U.S. study. 
Consuming sufficient omega-3s may reduce dry eye risk by 68 percent.  The study analyzed data from surveys collected from more than 37,000 women enrolled in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-based Women’s Health Study.
Dry eye syndrome is a chronic and uncomfortable eye disease that affects more than eight million people in the United States.  Women are affected twice as frequently as men. The syndrome is caused by a decrease in tear production or increase in tear evaporation that makes the tears too “salty.”  Symptoms of dry eye include dryness, burning, and/or a sandy, gritty sensation.
Left untreated, dry eye may result in decreased vision, and be complicated by ulceration and scarring.
"Our study examined the relationship between omega-3 and omega-6 consumption and the risk of dry eye.  Tuna is the major source of omega-3 in the American diet.  Vegetable oils are the major sources of omega-6,” said study co-author Jeffrey P. Gilbard, MD of the Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, in a prepared statement. 

Specifically, the study found:

• Women with the highest levels of dietary intake of omega 3 reduced their risk of dry eye syndrome by 20 percent, compared to women with the lowest levels of omega 3 in their diets.
• A dietary ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 greater than 15:1 was associated with a 2.5 times increased risk of dry eye syndrome. Currently, the average American diet has a similar ratio of omega 6 to omega 3, the study noted.
• Women who reported having at least five servings of tuna per week were at a 68 percent reduced risk of dry eye syndrome, compared to women who had one serving of tuna per week.
• Other kinds of fish that contain lower levels of omega 3 didn't seem to help protect against dry eye syndrome.

“Given the warnings by the FDA regarding mercury and tuna fish, we don’t recommend dry eye patients eat tuna 5 or more times per week,” said Dr. Gilbard.   “Salmon and anchovies are very low in mercury, and would be a better choice.”  For those of his patients who find this difficult or impossible, Dr. Gilbard recommends TheraTears Nutrition, a purified omega-3 supplement designed for patients with dry eye.
The study appears in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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