Treatment Options for Neurotrophic Keratitis

In this interview from AAO 2018, Dr. Anat Galor offers tips on treating patients with neurotrophic keratitis. The condition most commonly affects patients with diabetes or those recovering from a viral infection in the cornea. When neurotrophic keratitis fails to respond to traditional therapies such as lubrication and a bandage contact lens, Dr. Galor recommends autologous serum tears. In August 2018, the FDA approved the recombinant human nerve growth factor (NGF) drug cenergermin (Oxervate) for patients with moderate to severe neurotrophic keratitis. However, the novel NGF treatment may be cost-prohibitive for many patients, so Dr. Galor advises clinicians to use traditional therapies or serum tears whenever possible. 

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