Undiluted Serum Eye Drops for the Treatment of Persistent Corneal Epitheilal Defects

Several studies found that 50-100% serum eye drops provided greater benefits without inducing detrimental effects on the corneal epithelial healing. This study assessed the efficacy of undiluted serum eye drops for the treatment of persistent corneal epithelial defects (PED). A total of 109 eyes received 100% serum eye drops for PED were recruited into this study. The data were compared with an historical control group of 79 eyes with PED who received conventional treatments from 2006-2011 at the same institution. Main outcome measures were complete healing of PED and incidence of adverse events. No significant difference in demographics between the 2 groups was noted. The success rate of the treatment and control groups were 87.16% (95% CI 0.79-0.93) and 69.62% (95% CI 0.59-0.80) (P = 0.001), respectively. The median time to complete epithelialization was 14 days (95% CI 12-21) in the treatment group and 28 days (95% CI 21-59) in the control group (P = 0.001). Serum treatment, primary diagnosis of non-limbal stem cell deficiency etiology, and prior contact lens wear significantly correlated with the corneal re-epithelialization. There were no serious side effects encountered during the study period. In conclusion, undiluted serum therapy is effective and safe for treating PED.