1. The links between Omega-3 fatty acids & retina health
Sally tran

2. Omega-3 fatty acIds
A polyunsaturated fatty acid with a carbon–carbon double bond located 3 carbons from the methyl end of the chain.
Types of o-3FA: EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) & DHA (docosahexanoic acid)
- both are present in fish, fish oils, and krill oils but originate from microalgae eaten by the fish
ALA (alpha linolenic acid) present in plant oils like flaxseed, soybean, canola oils

3. Age-related macular degeneration (amd)
The degeneration of the retinal macula (central vision)
Signs: drusen existence (extracellular protein-deposits under retina) & abnormalities in retinal pigment epithelium (detachment, atrophy, choroidal neovascularization)

4. Age-related macular degeneration (amd)
Associated with an increasing aging population
Leading cause of blindness in the united states
OCULAR SURGERY NEWS | NOVEMBER 25, 2010 | OSNSuperSite.com

5. omega 3 + AMD
Dha is the major fatty acid in the retinal photoreceptor outer segment membrane
Dha affects the membrane’s function by influencing fluidity and lipid characteristics
Epa modulates inflammatory eicosanoids and mediators produced
Dha & epa can help regulate gene expressions related to retinal vascular pathways
Hong W, Daggy B. Biomed Hub 2017;2: (DOI: / )

6. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study evaluating the efficacy of oral dha in preventing amd
For 3 years, 263 patients (older than 55yrs, younger than 85yrs) assigned to receive either 840mg/day dha + 270mg/day epa or placebo
Red-blood cell membrane measurements of the fatty acids show that choroidal neovascularization incidence significantly reduced
Also found great benefits from lutein & zeaxanthin intake with amd reduction
study design did not investigate the efficacy of omega-3 alone, instead it tried to answer if the omega-3 addition could reduce amd by 25% or more (study confounder)
Souied EH, Delcourt C, Quergues G, et al. Ophthalmology Aug;120(8):

7. Dry eye disease
A complex/multifactorial inflammatory disease of the tears and ocular surface
Triggers: stress to the ocular surface by environmental factors, infection, endogenous stress, antigens, and genetic factors
Affected components: ocular surface (cornea, conjunctiva, accessory lacrimal glands), Meibomian glands (sebaceous glands of eyelid), maid lacrimal gland, and the innervations in between
Causes discomfort, visual disturbances, tear film instability, & potential damage to ocular surface

8. A double-blind clinical study evaluating the efficacy of oral intake of omega-3 fatty acids to relieve Meibomian gland dysfunction
Meibomian gland: excretes lipids onto the ocular surface, lubricating and protecting
Study was 3 months long and showed beneficial results of improved tear stability and reduced eyelid inflammation, through increased omega-3 intake
61 patients with symptomatic MGD into two groups, A (placebo) & B (oral omega-3)
Tests: tbut, Schirmer I, ocular surface disease index, mg expression, lid inflammation margin, corneal dye staining
Through 1.5g daily as a beneficial dose for mgd
Olenik A, Jimenez-Alfaro I, Alejandre-Alba N, Mahillo-Fernandez I. Clin Interv Aging 2013; 8: 1133–1138.

9. References
Souied EH, Delcourt C, Querques G, Bassols A, Merle B, Zourdani A, et al: Oral docosahexaenoic acid in the prevention of exudative age-related macular degeneration: the Nutritional AMD Treatment 2 study. Ophthalmology 2013; 120: 1619–1631.
Agarwal r, Chauhan cr, jain a.m, saxena n, Thakur a. twelve weeks treatment outcome of omega-3 fatty acid in computer vision syndrome dry eye: an open label, randomized, controlled pilot study. J evolution med. Dent. Sci. 2016;5(48):
Olenik A, Jimenez-Alfaro I, Alejandre-Alba N, Mahillo-Fernandez I: A randomized, double-masked study to evaluate the effect of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in meibomian gland dysfunction. Clin Interv Aging 2013; 8: 1133–1138.