Research Summary Archives

  This article at a glance A recent intervention study that evaluated the usefulness of supplementing the parenteral feed of premature babies with long-chain omega-3 fatty acids to alleviate the retinopathy frequently associated with premature birth was unsuccesful.An assessment of the fatty aci...

This article at a glance Photoreceptor cells contain high levels of DHA in their outer light-sensitive segment. Past research had shown that the DHA in photoreceptors was obtained from hepatic synthesis transported via the circulation, as well as from local synthesis in the retinal pigment epithe...

This article at a glance There is much ongoing research to assess if omega-3 LCPUFA intake can provide relief in different forms of dry eye disease. Three recent studies indicate that omega-3 LCPUFA supplementation can improve dry eye symptoms alone or in combination with other means. The rel...

This article at a glance VEGF inhibitors have significantly improved the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). In a pilot study, the possible adjunct therapeutic potential for omega-3 LCPUFA supplementation to lower the intravitreal levels of VEGF, as a central...

Dry eye syndrome (dry eye) is one of the leading reasons for patient visits to ophthalmologists in part because its symptoms are unpleasant. They include pain, dryness, grittiness, itchiness, burning, light sensitivity, difficulty reading, driving and doing computer work, all of which undermine one’...

The rationale for exploring the potential benefits of long-chain omega-3 PUFAs (n-3 LC-PUFAs) in dry eye syndrome (dry eye) stems from their well known anti-inflammatory properties and from the reduced incidence of certain eye diseases among individuals who consume fish or these PUFAs. In 2005, an e...

Dry eye syndrome is a condition of reduced quantity or quality of tears that increases the risk of ocular surface infections and has bothersome symptoms that interfere with activities such as reading, working at a computer and driving a car. Individuals who develop the condition are more likely to b...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that damages the retina and blurs an individual’s central vision, can interfere with the ability to read and drive. It mainly affects people over the age of 50 and begins with the formation of yellow or white deposits or drusen under the retina ...

The development of visual pathways from the retina to the visual cortex in the brain involves the proper arrangement of retinal neuronal axons within two brain structures along the route. These structures, the superior colliculus and the lateral geniculate nucleus, require precise alignment (topogra...

Retinitis pigmentosa is an eye disease of genetic origin that slowly damages the retina and impairs vision. It is usually first noticed by poor night vision, which progresses gradually to impaired peripheral vision (tunnel vision), then loss of central vision. The hallmark of the condition is black ...

This issue of the PUFA Newsletter reports research demonstrating that injured peripheral neurons are more resistant to damage from injury and recover more quickly and extensively when cellular concentrations of DHA and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA n-3) are elevated. In this article, Haydee Bazan and c...

If you pause to think about it, the ability of the eye to coordinate its visual responses to different types of inputs is quite remarkable. Besides responding to light with visual images, the eye responds to sound signals by turning the eye and head toward the direction of the sound. It responds to ...