Omega-3 may protect eyes from disease

The retina has one of the highest concentrations of omega-3 fats in the body.

The development of new blood vessels in eye tissues where circulation has been impaired by disease is the most common cause of blindness.

This occurs in premature retinopathy in children; in diabetic retinopathy; and in age-related macular degeneration in older people.

A collaborative study by researchers in the US and Sweden looked at the effects of EPA and DHA, long-chain omega-3s found in fish, and the omega-6 fat arachidonic acid on blood vessels in the retinas of mice.

The researchers found that omega-3 polyunsaturated fats protected against the development and progression of retinopathy, a deterioration of the retina, and that omega-6 was harmful.

The findings are important as they provide a reasonable biological explanation for findings from a number of human studies on diet and retinal disease which suggest omega-3 benefits eye health.

Source: Nature Medicine, July 2007 and National Institutes of Health