Efficacy of Autologous Serum Drops for Variety of Ocular Disorders
Purpose
To evaluate the efficacy of autologous serum drops as treatment for a variety of ocular disorders and determine whether age, sex, or race influence efficacy of treatment.
Methods
A prospective observational study of patients on autologous serum drops for any ocular disorder with greater than 3 months of follow-up were included. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), along with a patient survey about dry eye symptoms were recorded prior to initiating treatment with topical autologous serum. The underlying condition and demographic data were compiled along with post-treatment surveys filled out when autologous serum prescriptions were refilled and BCVA at post-treatment visits.
Results
30 patients (60 eyes) were enrolled in the study. BCVA improved by 2 lines in our population 3 months after treatment with topical autologous serum. The most common underlying conditions were neurotrophic keratitis, sjogrens syndrome, and idiopathic chronic dry eye (25% each), graft versus host disease (15%). The most common symptoms were “dry or grit sensation” or eye discomfort. There was a statistically significant improvement in all symptoms (p <0.05) except for tearing or watery eyes. The no-show rate for serum re-fill appointments was 4.4% which is lower than that commonly reported in the literature for all ophthalmology office visits.
Conclusion
Autologous serum is an additional tool in the dry eye armamentarium that can help improve visual acuity, decrease subjective dry eye complaints, and increase quality of life.