Why carried out this study?

Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a multifactorial disease of the ocular surface associated with reduced tear secretion, increased osmolarity of the tears and inflammation that may lead to ocular surface damage. DES is one of the most common reasons for seeking eye care with a projected direct cost to the US economy of $3.8 billion.

There is a high prevalence of DES (5–50%) globally and increased risk of DES with aging, female gender and the younger population that increasingly uses digital devices.

Artificial tears and topical corticosteroids used as first-line treatments usually improve the symptoms of dry eyes but are associated with adverse effects with long-term use. Many nutritional supplements have been investigated to manage the symptoms of DES. This study was conducted to evaluate efficacy of a multi-ingredient supplement containing lutein, zeaxanthin, curcumin and vitamin D3 in subjects with dry eye syndrome (DES).

What was learned from the study?

Results from our study indicate that 8 weeks of supplementation of our formulation helps in improving tear production, stabilizes tear film, and eventually reduces hyperosmolarity of the tears in subjects suffering from DES. This further results in decreased inflammation as measured by reduced MMP-9 levels in the tear fluid and decreased ocular surface damage as measured by corneal and conjunctival staining during the supplementation.

Overall, we have demonstrated statistically significant clinical improvements in dry eye symptoms as compared to the placebo in subjects validated through well-established subjective questionnaire-based approaches such as OSDI and SPEED.