Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate the changes in the tear lipid layer thickness (LLT) over the course of 15 minutes following the use of an artificial tear formulation containing ALA omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil and a formulation that does not contain lipid.
Methods :
METHODS: A stroboscopic video color microscope (SVCM) was used to measure the thickness of the tear LLT of consented participants before and after the instillation of Refresh Optive Mega-3 on one study visit day and Refresh Optive on a different day. Inclusion criteria were: ≥ 30 years of age, absence of changing medical health or treatments deemed confounding, SVCM tear LLT of ≤ 75 nm. Exclusion criteria included: use of ocular prescription medication within 14 days, current use punctal plugs, current eye disease that affects the surface of the eye greater than moderate blepharitis and ocular allergy, pregnancy or lactating, ocular surgery excluding cataract surgery ≥ 1 year prior. Measurements were collected at baseline and 15 minutes after instilling each eye drop. Subjects were masked and randomized for the order in which eye drop visits occurred, and there was a washout period of 2 days between each visit. Measurements were collected over the central cornea in a 6mm diameter field (resolution 1400x1100, 23 frames/s) over 40 seconds, with participants blinking every 4 seconds.
Results :
Short term results found an increase in LLT at 15 minutes for both drops. There was a 17.7% increase for the omega-3 containing eye drop, which was statistically significant. The Refresh Optive eye drop showed an increase of 10.4%, which was not statistically significant.
Conclusions :
Using an single eye drop containing omega-3 oils shows a statistically significant increase in the tear LLT of the tears 15 minutes after instillation, while the increase when using a control without the omega-3 oils is not significant.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.