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Published on: March 24, 2023
Autologous serum eye drops for dry eye
Qing Pan1, Adla Angelina, Andrea Zambrano
1Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 327 Maumenee Bldg, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, USA, 21287-9238.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|August 29, 2013
Summary
Autologous serum (AS) eye drops may offer some symptom relief for dry eye compared to artificial tears, but evidence is inconsistent. Further high-quality research is needed to confirm the efficacy of AS therapy for dry eye.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Autologous serum (AS) eye drops are theorized to mimic natural tears more closely than artificial tears.
- AS eye drops are increasingly used as a second-line therapy for dry eye disease.
- Published studies suggest potential efficacy of AS in dry eye treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of autologous serum (AS) eye drops compared to artificial tears for treating dry eye.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing AS to artificial tears for dry eye.
- Searched multiple databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, mRCT, ClinicalTrials.gov, and WHO ICTRP.
- Included four RCTs with 72 participants; data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently.
Main Results:
- Limited evidence suggests AS may improve participant-reported dry eye symptoms and tear breakup time (TBUT) after two weeks.
- No significant improvements were observed with AS for aqueous tear production, ocular surface staining, or epithelial metaplasia.
- Evidence quality was variable, with insufficient reporting in some trials; meta-analysis was prevented by heterogeneity.
Conclusions:
- Inconsistent findings regarding the benefits of AS for dry eye symptoms and TBUT; lack of effect on objective clinical measures.
- Need for well-designed, large, high-quality RCTs using standardized outcomes to assess AS therapy for dry eye.
- Further research should investigate AS efficacy across different dry eye severities and utilize objective biomarkers.
