Document Type : Review articles

Authors

1 Department of Ophthalmology, Plava Medical Group, 3.Tuzlanske brigade 7, 75000 Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina

2 Department of Food and Nutrition Research, Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, F. Kuhača 18, 31000 Osijek, Croatia

3 Department of Family Medicine, Health Care Center, Kulinabanabb, 75300 Lukavac, Bosnia & Herzegovina

4 Department of Ophthalmology, University Clinical Center, Trnovac bb, 75000 Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Abstract

As one of the most common diseases in ophthalmology today, dry eye disease (DED) poses a great challenge for public health systems globally. This is a multifactorial condition involving the production/evaporation of tears and consequential damage to the ocular surface. Symptoms of DED like discomfort and visual disturbance alter a person’s quality of life and pose a significant economic burden to healthcare systems. Today’s lifestyle favors DED development, especially long-term exposure to screens, poor sleep quality, and a diet abundant in saturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids, and we can expect that its prevalence will extend far beyond the currently estimated 10%. The underlying inflammation and symptoms of DED, are treated with various anti-inflammatory agents and autologous and/or allogeneic serum drops. Considering the role of lifestyle in DED pathophysiology, lifestyle modifications, including diet, sleep, and physical activity are getting more attention. Among them, supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids shows the most promising results in alleviating subjective and objective measures of DED through a direct effect on the stability and production of the tear film, inflammation markers, and corneal nerve regeneration. We aimed to provide insights into currently available research findings supporting omega-3 fatty acids as a valuable adjuvant therapy in treating DED.

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