Journal Article

Effects of short-term oral vitamin A supplementation on the ocular tear film in patients with dry eye

Alqahtani, Saad, Masmali, Ali M., Albakri, Abdulkareem A., Al-Baloud, Abdulaziz A., Alanazi, Saud A., El-Hiti, Gamal A., Alfarhan, Mohamed I., Al-Shahrani, Ammar

2019

Overview

To investigate the effects of short-term oral vitamin A supplementation on the ocular tear film in patients with dry eye. In total, 30 male patients with dry eye (age range, 18-38 years; mean age, 25.2±2.8 years) who did not wear contact lenses or exhibit any ocular (other than dry eye) or systemic diseases were included, along with 30 age-matched men (control group; mean age, 24.5±2.3 years) with healthy eyes. Subject exclusion was based on the findings of the McMonnies questionnaire (cutoff score for dry eye: 14.5) and slit-lamp biomicroscopy. All subjects received an oral vitamin A supplement at a daily dose of 1,500 mg for 3 consecutive days. The phenol red thread (PRT) test was performed along with assessments of tear ferning (TF), tear osmolarity, and the tear break-up time (TBUT) before and 24 hours after the third dose of the vitamin A supplement. A 10-minute interval was observed between different tests. In the dry eye group, the TF grade (Wilcoxon test, =0.01) exhibited a significant decrease, while the tear osmolarity value ( -test, =0.01) exhibited a significant increase after vitamin A supplementation. The PRT test findings ( =0.17) and TBUT ( =0.49) showed no significant differences before and after vitamin A supplementation. In the control group, vitamin A supplementation showed no significant effects on TF ( =0.74), tear osmolarity ( =0.55), the TBUT ( =0.19), and the PRT test scores ( =0.48). Our findings suggest that short-term oral vitamin A supplementation improves the quality, but not quantity, of tears in patients with dry eye. Future studies should involve larger patient samples and longer periods of vitamin A supplementation.

• Publisher: Dove Medical Press Limited,Taylor & Francis Ltd,Dove Medical Press
• Subject: Age / Analysis / Contact lenses / Cornea / Dietary supplements / Diseases / dry eye / Fishes / Future predictions / Medical research / Metabolism / Ophthalmology / Original Research / Patients / phenol red thread test / Phenols / Phenols (Class of compounds) / Quality / Questionnaires / Short term / tear break-up time / tear ferning / tear film / tear osmolarity / Time / Vitamin A / vitamin A supplement / Vitamins