Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of topical 100% serum eye drops for corneal epithelial defect after ocular surgery. A total of 181 patients who received topical 100% serum therapy for the treatment of corneal epithelial defect following several different types of ocular surgery were recruited into this study. Each patient already failed conventional medical therapy before being prescribed 100% serum eye drops. Slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination with fluorescein staining was performed at baseline and all follow-up visits. The main outcome measures were the rate of complete healing of the corneal epithelial defect and incidence of adverse events. One hundred and seventy-eight eyes (98.34%) received autologous serum eye drops, and 3 (1.66%) received allogeneic serum eye drops. The overall success rate of treating persistent postoperative epithelial defect using 100% serum eye drops was 93.92% (95% CI 0.88–0.98). The median time to complete corneal epithelialization was 4 days (95% CI 4-5). Adverse reactions were observed in 3 patients (1.66%), including sticky sensation with minimal eye discomfort and asymptomatic trace corneal subepithelial infiltration. No serious complications were reported. In conclusion, 100% serum eye drops are effective, safe, and tolerable for treating postoperative corneal epithelial defect following ocular surgeries.
Highlights
Autologous serum application for the treatment of ocular surface disease has been dated back at least to 1975 when it was used via a mobile perfusion pump to treat ocular alkali injuries [1]
The reasons for using allogeneic serum eye drops in some cases included human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (1) and elderly with multiple systemic diseases (2)
The donors were tested for blood-borne diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B and C viruses and syphilis using standard blood bank screening tests to ensure that their serum was suitable for processing into serum eye drops
Summary
Autologous serum application for the treatment of ocular surface disease has been dated back at least to 1975 when it was used via a mobile perfusion pump to treat ocular alkali injuries [1]. In 1984, Fox et al first described a successful use of autologous serum as an eye drop in patients with dry eye [2]. It was not until the late 1990s that scientific interest in the use of autologous serum eye drops emerged due to the research of Tsubota et al [3, 4]. Initial works were subsequently continued by many pioneers over the following years. Today, this treatment modality has become popular and gained widespread acceptance as an adjuvant therapy for various ocular surface disorders, including dry eye, persistent epithelial defect, neurotrophic keratopathy, recurrent erosion syndrome, and superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis. Serum eye drops appeared to allow corneal epithelial wounds after vitreoretinal surgery to heal effectively and faster than artificial tears [8, 9]
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