[Research update of effectiveness and mechanism of essential fatty acids in treating dry eye].

Topical anti-inflammatory therapy has become the significant way of treating dry eye so far. However, as the long-term use of routine anti-inflammatory medications are restricted from their side effects, it is inevitable to explore safer and more effective alternatives. Essential fatty acids have proven to be anti-inflammatory systemically, which makes it possible to treat dry eye. Clinical trials have demonstrated that supplementation with either ω-3 or ω-6 essential fatty acids or both has multifactorial efficacies including improvement of subjective symptoms, alleviation of inflammation of ocular surface and eyelid margin, prolongation of tear break-up time and increase of tear flow secretion. Besides anti-inflammation effects, several basic researches have revealed that other mechanisms of essential fatty acids treating dry eye might lie in the corneal epithelial healing and tear secretion promotion. This review puts emphasis on the effectiveness, feasibility and mechanism of treating dry eye with essential fatty acids. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2017, 53: 225-229).