[Effectiveness of topical autologous serum treatment in neurotrophic keratopathy]

To evaluate the effectiveness of 20% autologous serum as a treatment for neurotrophic keratopathy.

A longitudinal, observational and descriptive study was performed on 19 patients (22 eyes) with neurotrophic keratopathy in different stages of Mackie's classification. The following variables were evaluated on the first visit, and then 4 months later: best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), subjective patient symptomatology (faces scale), Schirmer's test without anesthesia (mm), tear film break-up time (BUT) (sg) and healing of the epithelial defect (weeks). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for the statistical analysis of the data.

A symptomatic improvement was observed in 100% of the cases, and a 71% improvement in best corrected visual acuity (P<.05). There was also a statistically significant improvement in the Schirmer's test and BUT (P<.05). Healing of epithelial defect occurred in 71% of the cases within 6 weeks, and in 91% of the cases within 12 weeks of treatment. The remaining 9% of the cases that did not heal had a grade 3 neurotrophic keratopathy.

The use of 20% autologous topical serum represents an effective treatment for grades 1 and 2 neurotrophic keratopathy, but is an insufficient treatment for a grade 3 keratopathy. In cases where there is a significant loss of tissue, the application of a higher concentration of autologous serum, or platelet-rich derivatives, or plasma rich in growth factors, may be more effective than the application of 20% autologous serum, due to their greater effect on cell proliferation.