Effect of complementary supplementation of Camelina Oil on the improvement of dry eye disease in patients with dry eye

Abstract

Purpose and background: Dry eye disease is a multi-factorial disease that affects the edges of the eyelid and the lacrimal layer, causing changes in the epithelium of the eye surface, decreases the amount of tears, resulting in inflammatory reaction which is associated with increased osmolarity of tears. One of the new treatments that have recently been welcomed by specialists is the use of Camelina oil. This oil, due to the presence of fatty acids such as omega-3, increases the level of tear fat layer and prevents the evaporation of liquids. Therefore, the present study is aimed to investigate the effect of Camelina Oil on improving the symptoms of dry eye in patients with dry eye. Material and methods: This study in the Ethics Committee with the Ethics Identity 890. 1397 IR.TBZMED.REC. Approved. The clinical trial code (IRCT) is IRCT20180806040722N1. In this clinical trial, 50 patients aged between 18-65 years old and by simple random sampling method based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria among the patients referred to ophthalmology clinic of Bina and Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran. Patient's food intake was assessed with a 24-hour recall. Then, each person was examined by a slit lamp and items such as the score obtained in the OSDI questionnaire, the mean TBUT time, and the Schirmer Test (without anesthesia) were recorded for each patient, respectively. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of Camelina oil and placebo groups and were treated for 3 months. Patients in the first group received 2 capsules of Camomile oil daily and the second group received 2 capsules of paraffin oil daily. After 3 months, the patients were re-examined and tests were repeated in the first examination. The raw data was imported into IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.Findings: The age range of patients was 18-65years (50.6 ± 12.9 years). Results from three months of intervention revealed that consumption of Camelina oil (group A) significantly increased TBUT index and tear meniscus height or (Tear volume estimation test) and decreased OSDI index significantly (P-Value <0.05). Although in this study, UCVA (Un Corrected Visual Acuity) (Uncorrected vision with unapproved glasses or visual acuity) and HDL index increased after full oil consumption, but this increase was not statistically significant (P-Value > 0.05). Meanwhile, the only indicator that decreased significantly after OSL treatment was OSDI index (P-value = 0.008). The results of quantitative difference of variables before and after the intervention between the two groups showed that the value of TBUT variables, tear meniscus height and UCVA significantly increased in group A compared to group B (P-Value ˂ 0.05). Result: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that consumption of Camelina oil (consumption of omega-3 fatty acids) can increase the rate of tear meniscus height and TBUT variables and decrease the OSDI variable rate