Ieva Kunickaitė1
1Vilnius University, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius, Lithuania
Abstract
Introduction. Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a tear film disorder caused by decreased tear production or instability of the tear film. Prevalence of DES ranges from 5% to 87.5% worldwide. The most common recommendation for the treatment of DES is the use of preservative-free artificial tears, but the latest data suggest the use of autologous blood serum eye drops.
Aim. Summarize and present information on DES treatment using autologous blood serum eye drops based on the latest scientific literature.
Methods. The literature review was performed using PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. Scientific articles were analyzed by keywords and their combinations: dry eye syndrome, treatment, autologous serum, artificial tears. Exclution criteria were applied to articles related to keratoconjunctivitis sicca. 21 publications were examined. Only articles written in English were selected.
Results. The efficacy of autologous serum (AS) eye drops as treatment of DES is reported in the literature: in 30-100% of cases the symptoms were relieved and in 39-61% of the cases the corneal staining with fluorescein became less pronounced. The results of another study revealed that tear film decay time and visual acuity were significantly increased using AS eye drops 4 times daily for 8 weeks.
Conclusions. Autologous blood serum eye drops used to treat severe DES are effective in reducing conjunctivitis and corneal inflammation. However, the increase in tear release is not affected by this treatment.
Keywords: dry eye syndrome, treatment, autologous serum, artificial tears.