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Dry Eye Syndrome

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• Effectiveness of Mediterranean Diet Implementation in Dry Eye Parameters: A Study of PREDIMED-PLUS Trial - Nutrients. 2020 May 1 - "The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil and nuts on dry eye parameters. The participants in this study were randomized into one of the two interventional arms: (1) a standard intervention group, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil and nuts; and (2) an intensive intervention group, based on a hypocaloric Mediterranean diet and an intensive lifestyle program with physical activity and weight-loss goals. In both groups, common dry eye tests were conducted at baseline and after six months: the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), the Dry Eye Scoring System (DESS), tear break-up time (TBUT), the Schirmer's test, and the Oxford staining grade. Sixty-seven eyes were examined. After six months, dry eye parameters improved in both groups; differences between groups were favorable for the intensive intervention group. The implementation of a Mediterranean diet pattern was beneficial for the selected patients with dry eye, and could be beneficial for patients with dry eye in general. Behavioral support for diet adherence and the promotion of healthy lifestyles (exercise) and weight loss (calorie restriction) have an added positive effect"
• Effects of MaquiBright® on improving eye dryness and fatigue in humans: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - J Tradnd Compl Med, 22 Nov 2018 - "The MB group demonstrated a significantly higher lacrimal fluid production in both eyes (increased 6.4 ± 8.1 mm, P = 0.005) in Schirmer's test compared to the P group before VDT load (playing a video game) at 4 weeks after intake. In the VAS method after VDT load, the reduction of subjective symptoms in eye fatigue (P = 0.047) and stiff shoulders (P = 0.035) were significantly higher in the MB group than in the P group as well as bothersome ocular symptoms (P = 0.037) by the DEQS. No adverse events were reported. Thus, the consumption of 60 mg of MaquiBright® per day for 4 weeks reduced eye dryness and seemed to alleviate eye fatigue" - [Nutra USA] - See MaquiBright® at Amazon.com.
• Zinc May Help Against Vision Loss in Seniors - WebMD, 8/23/17 - "AREDS was "greatly cost-effective for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, specifically in people who have active wet, age-related macular degeneration in one eye and dry in the other ... Formula 1 has high doses of vitamins C and E, beta carotene, zinc and copper. Formula 2 has lutein and zeaxanthin instead of beta carotene ... both formulations were cost effective for treating patients with early stage disease, but they were even more cost effective for those with the condition in only one eye ... these patients would need nearly eight fewer injections of anti-VEGF therapies into their eye" - See AREDS 2 at Amazon.com.
• The effect of a natural, standardized bilberry extract (Mirtoselect®) in dry eye: a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled trial - Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2017 May;21(10):2518-2525 - "Schirmer's test values indicating the volume of tear secretion were significantly improved in the bilberry extract group (p=0.019), whereas no significant changes were observed in the placebo group. A subset analysis revealed that Mirtoselect® could be more effective in subjects with higher tendency of dry eye" - [Nutra USA] - See Mirtoselect® at Amazon.com.
• Lower Serum Vitamin D Level Was Associated with Risk of Dry Eye Syndrome - Med Sci Monit. 2017 May 10;23:2211-2216 - "A significant association between serum 25(OH)D level and DES incidence was detected in this study"
• Oral omega-3 fatty acids treatment in computer vision syndrome related dry eye - Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2015 - "This study demonstrates the beneficial effect of orally administered O3FAs in alleviating dry eye symptoms, decreasing tear evaporation rate and improving Nelson grade in patients suffering from computer vision syndrome related dry eye" - [Nutra USA] - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
• Omega-3 Supplementation Helps Meibomian Gland Dysfunction - Medscape, 4/20/15 - "This study supports the potential of omega-3 fatty acids to prevent dry eye syndrome ... The prevalence of meibomian gland dysfunction ranges from 30.3% to 63.3% and, in Asia, the prevalence is at the top of that range ... The 30 patients in the treatment group took two capsules of fish oil twice daily. The 1.2 g daily dose of omega-3 fatty acid consisted of eicosapentaenoic acid 720 mg and docosahexaenoic acid 480 mg ... The 30 patients in the placebo group took vitamin E 400 mg daily ... improvement was seen in all measures of meibomian gland dysfunction in the two groups, except the Schirmer's test, but changes were greater in the omega-3 group" - See the table on that link for the results.  See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
• Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids Therapy for Dry Eye Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies - Med Sci Monit. 2014 Sep 6;20:1583-1589 - "our findings suggest that omega-3 fatty acid offers is an effective therapy for dry eye syndrome" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
• Effectiveness and tolerability of dietary supplementation with a combination of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants in the treatment of dry eye symptoms: results of a prospective study - Clin Ophthalmol. 2014;8:169-76 - "There was a decrease in the percentage of patients in which dry eye symptoms predominated nearly all the time (53.5% versus 34.1%). A total of 68.1% of patients reported better tolerance to contact lenses after treatment ... Dietary supplementation with a combination of omega-3 essential fatty acids and antioxidants was an effective treatment for dry eye" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com and Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.
• Effects of dietary supplementation with fish oil on dry eye syndrome subjects: randomized controlled trial - Biomed Res. 2013;34(5):215-20 - "Twenty-seven typical dry eye subjects were selected from 43 candidates by the diagnostic criterion for dry eye in this study. They were assigned to the randomized fish oil group (n = 15) or the placebo group (n = 12). Fish oil group ingested fish oil capsules containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 1245 mg/day) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 540 mg/day) for 12 weeks ... The subjective symptom of "eye pain", BUT, and changes in rose bengal staining score of the fish oil group were significantly improved after 8-12 weeks of supplementation and/or 4 weeks of washout, compared to those of the placebo group. These results suggest that fish oil supplementation added to usual care may be effective in the treatment of dry eye" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Effects of dietary supplementation with a combination of fish oil, bilberry extract, and lutein on subjective symptoms of asthenopia in humans - Biomed Res. 2011;32(6):387-93 - "supplement containing omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish oil (docosahexaenoic acid 783 mg/day, eicosapentaenoic acid 162 mg/day), bilberry extract (anthocyanidin 59 mg/day), and lutein (17.5 mg/day) in soft gel capsule form, every day for 4 weeks ... Asthenopia [eye strain] symptoms such as "stiff shoulder, low back pain", "frustration", "dry-eye", and "stuffy head" were improved in the Active group. Furthermore, a score of mental fatigue was improved after 4 weeks of supplementation, and no side effects were observed after the 4-week supplementation and a 2-week washout period in the Active group. These results suggest that dietary supplementation with the combination of omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish oil, bilberry extract, and lutein may safely improve subjective symptoms of asthenopia and mental fatigue in humans" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com, bilberry at Amazon.com and Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com.
• Pilot, Prospective, Randomized, Double-masked, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial of an Omega-3 Supplement for Dry Eye - Cornea. 2010 Oct 28 - "Dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids in dry eye showed no significant effect in meibum lipid composition or aqueous tear evaporation rate. On the other hand, the average tear production and tear volume was increased in the omega-3 group as indicated by both Schirmer testing and fluorophotometry"  - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Sea buckthorn oil may ease dry eye symptoms - Nutra USA, 6/28/10
• There's Nothing Fishy About Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Dry Eye Syndrome - Medscape, 9/1/09 - "the essential omega-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) found in fish oil and alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) in flax seed oil, are also thought to improve evaporative dry eye. Omega-3 fatty acids are believed to competitively inhibit the production of proinflammatory mediators, such as interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. With fewer proinflammatory compounds available, the ocular tear film is thought to be able to better promote a healthy ocular surface. A higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been associated with a decreased incidence of DES in women" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Low serum levels of sex-steroids are associated with disease characteristics in primary Sjogren's syndrome; supplementation with dehydroepiandrosterone restores the concentrations - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Mar 24 - "Dry mouth symptoms decreased during DHEA therapy ... Disease manifestations in primary Sjogren's syndrome were associated with low sex hormone levels, dry mouth symptoms with low androgens and dry eyes with low estrogens. Exogenous DHEA was preferentially transformed into androgens rather than into estrogens" - See DHEA at Amazon.com.
• Omega-3 Supplements May Help Dry Eye Caused by Sjogren's Syndrome - Doctor's Guide, 6/12/07 - "For patients who received the fish-oil supplement, there were significant improvements in unstimulated salivary flow rate (P <.01), stimulated salivary flow rate (P <.48), and dry mouth symptom improvement ... there were significant improvements in dry eye symptom scores for patients who received the fish and flaxseed oil supplements ... Improvements in dry mouth symptoms were also verified through dental exams. Gingival and plaque scores were improved by 71% and 53% respectively in the study group" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com or Vitacost.
• Don't Want Dry Eyes? Eat Your Tuna - WebMD, 10/20/05
• Dietary Fat Intake Linked To Dry Eye Syndrome In Women - Science Daily, 10/24/05 - "a high intake of omega 3 fatty acids, often referred to as a 'good' fat, commonly found in fish and walnuts, is associated with a protective effect. Conversely, a higher ratio of omega 6, a fat found in many cooking and salad oils and animal meats, compared to omega 3 in the diet, may increase the risk of dry eye syndrome"
• Relation between dietary n-3 and n-6 fatty acids and clinically diagnosed dry eye syndrome in women - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 82, No. 4, 887-893, October 2005 - "These results suggest that a higher dietary intake of n–3 FAs is associated with a decreased incidence of DES in women"
• Fish Oil Benefits Your Eyes - WebMD, 5/8/03 - "Those whose diets had the most fish oil were less likely to have dry eye syndrome than those whose diets had the least fish oil" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
• Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Risk of AMD - Medscape, 5/6/03 - "Dietary omega-3 fatty acids but not beta-carotene supplementation is associated with a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ... omega-3 fatty acids may also reduce the risk of dry eye syndrome in women" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
• Dry Eyes Are Fatigue Symptom - Nutrition Science News, 3/02

Other News:

• New treatment for severe dry eye disease promising in early clinical trials - Science Daily, 5/7/19 - ""In dry eye disease, several things happen," Jain explained. "There is an increase in the number of white blood cells called neutrophils that gather on the surface of the eye. Neutrophils release DNA which forms webs on the cornea called neutrophil extracellular traps, which cause inflammation of the ocular surface and attract additional neutrophils in a vicious cycle." ... Participants were given eye drops containing either DNase or a placebo formulation and instructed to administer one drop of the solution to each eye four times per day for eight weeks ... participants in the DNase group had a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in corneal damage at eight weeks compared with the placebo group. Questionnaire scores related to symptoms also reflected significant improvement among patients in the DNase group compared with placebo, who also had reduced amounts of corneal DNA webs and other material on the surface of the eye. ... DNase is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat cystic fibrosis ... There are currently only two approved drugs to treat dry eye, and they don't work for everyone, especially those with severe disease, so having a new drug that can treat the disease is very important"
• Dry Eye Symptoms Eased by Rebamipide, a Mucin Secretagogue - Medscape, 4/4/13
• Novel hydroxypropyl-guar gellable lubricant eye dr... [Adv Ther. 2010] - PubMed result - Adv Ther. 2010 Aug 26
• Dry Eyes Improve With Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Ophthalmic Inserts - Doctor's Guide, 5/11/09
• Immunosuppressant Medication May Be Cost-effective For Dry Eye Syndrome - Science Daily, 2/19/09
• Topical Cyclosporine May Be Helpful for Dry Eye Disease - Medscape, 8/12/08
• Newer Approaches to the Long-Term Management of Dry Eye Disease - powerpak.com, 7/1/08
• Eye-staining Technique Offers Early Detection For Dry Eye Syndrome - Science Daily, 8/20/07
• Dry Eye Syndrome May Cut Life Quality - WebMD, 3/13/07
• Dry Eye Syndrome's Impact on Quality of Life - Doctor's Guide, 3/9/07
• Doctor: Don't Ignore Dry Eyes - CBS Chicago, 12/8/05
• Eye's lament: How dry I am - USA Today, 11/27/05
• Cyclosporine Treatment for Dry Eye May Be Shortened in Some Patients - Medscape, 10/19/05
• For Dry Eye Sufferers, Lots of Tears Bring Major Relief - New York Times, 9/12/05
• Season of Dry Eyes - Time, 2/7/05
• Risk Factors for Dry Eye Found Among Elderly - WebMD, 3/8/04
• Dry Eyes Caused by Hormone Problems - WebMD, 2/10/04
• Dry Eye Syndrome Common in Women Over 50 - WebMD, 8/12/03
• Hinge Position In LASIK Flaps Affects Corneal Sensation And Dry Eye - Doctor's Guide, 5/26/03
• Retinal Abnormalities Age-Related Macular Degeneration Associated With Hypertension, Pulse Pressure - Doctor's Guide, 4/10/03 - "Retinal abnormalities in older people without diabetes are related to hypertension. Higher blood and pulse pressure are also associated with an increased incidence of macular abnormalities, including wet and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD)"
• Hormone Replacement Therapy Boosts Visual Function In Women - Doctor's Guide, 1/30/03 - "In the HRT versus control group, tear production was also significantly improved at one year after beginning the treatment"
• Fermavisc Found Effective For Dry Eye - Doctor's Guide, 10/10/02
• Menopause Hormones, Dry Eyes Linked - Intelihealth, 11/7/01
• Estrogen Linked to Dry-Eye Syndrome - WebMD, 11/6/01 - "women using replacement hormones, like estrogen, are more likely to have dry eyes"
• LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis)-Induced Dry Eye Most Likely Caused by Severing of Corneal Nerves - Doctor's Guide, 6/1/01
• New Drops Offer Hope for Dry Eyes - WebMD, 4/13/00