Vitamin D shows promise in alleviating dry eye disease symptoms

Vitamin D supplementation appears to effectively alleviate symptoms and improve signs of dry eye disease, according to results of a meta-analysis that demonstrated that Vitamin D can enhance tear production and stability, and reduce symptoms like lid hyperemia and discomfort.

The meta-analysis which included 8 studies involving 439 patients, assessed Vitamin D’s impact on various DED indicators, including Schirmer’s test, tear film break-up time, corneal fluorescein staining scores, lid hyperemia, ocular surface disease index (OSDI), and visual analogue pain scale.

Vitamin D supplementation was found to significantly improve tear production and stability, as evidenced by higher Schirmer’s test scores and longer tear film break-up times. In addition, there was a notable reduction in lid hyperemia and OSDI scores, indicating a decrease in both the severity and frequency of dry eye symptoms.

Reference
Chen Z, Zhang C, Jiang J, et al. The efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in dry eye disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2024;102169. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2024.102169. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39025755.