DEC 14, 2010
Cornea/External Disease
This prospective study evaluated the long-term effects of autologous serum drops in patients with recurrent corneal erosions. Based on the results of 33 patients (33 eyes) followed for a mean of 30 months, the authors conclude that this is a safe and efficient treatment modality for recurrent corneal erosion syndrome.
Subjects in the study were patients at a single center who had failed other treatments, including artificial tears and lubricating ointments, hyperosmotic agents, bandage contact lenses and anterior stromal punctures. They were instructed to use autologous serum eye drops six times daily for three months and then four times daily for another three months. They were also prescribed preservative- free artificial tears four times daily for nine months and tobramycin drops three times daily until the epithelial defect closed.
None of the patients experienced a recurrence during treatment. Twenty-eight patients (85 percent) experienced complete healing of erosions with no relapses during the entire follow-up period, which ranged from 12 to 48 months. Five patients (15 percent) had a single recurrence between three and 12 months after completing treatment. No sight-threatening complications were reported during follow up. Also neither BSCVA nor IOP significantly changed between pre- and post-treatment measurements for the entire patient group.
The authors found that six months of treatment with autologous serum drops was sufficient for keeping patients symptom-free for at least 2 ½ years. However, they note that continuous use of autologous serum therapy might lead to potential complications and disadvantages, such as repeat blood sampling, infection risk and additional cost. They say that further controlled studies are needed to determine the optimal treatment period and elucidate the exact mechanisms involved in this treatment modality. They also called for randomized studies comparing autologous serum with other treatments for recurrent corneal erosions.