Use of Autologous Serum Tears for the Treatment of Ocular Surface Disease From Patients With Systemic Autoimmune Diseases.
Published
Journal Article
PURPOSE: To describe the safety and efficacy of autologous serum tears (AST) in managing ocular surface disease resistant to conventional therapy in patients with systemic autoimmune disease(s). DESIGN: Retrospective, interventional case series. METHODS: Records of patients from 2009 to 2015 with systemic autoimmune disease treated with AST (20%-50%) for chronic surface disease were analyzed. Standardized measures of subjective dry eye symptoms, objective dry eye staining of the cornea, and slit-lamp findings including punctate epithelial erosion (PEE), filamentary keratopathy (FK), and corneal epithelial defects (KED) were compared during first and last visit. We attempted to standardize outcomes by creating a scale from 1 to 4 for subjective and objective components: worsening (1), no improvement (2), partial improvement (3), and complete resolution (4). RESULTS: Fifty-one patients (101 eyes) were included. The mean age was 59.8 ± 13.2 years (72.5% female). Average use of AST was 14.3 ± 11.7 months. Complete objective improvement of initial slit-lamp findings was achieved in 30% and partial improvement in 55% of eyes. Presence of PEE, FK, and KED decreased from 92.1% to 52.5% (P < .001), from 22.8% to 9.9% (P = .02), and from 5% to 2% (P = .44) of the eyes, respectively. Full subjective improvement of symptoms was achieved in 34.6%, partial in 50.5%, and none in 14.9% of patients. No adverse side effects were noted during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: AST are a safe and effective adjunct therapy in improving both objective signs and subjective symptoms of ocular surface disorders associated with systemic autoimmune disease(s).
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Ali, TK; Gibbons, A; Cartes, C; Zarei-Ghanavati, S; Gomaa, M; Gonzalez, I; Gonzalez, AE; Ozturk, HE; Betancurt, C; Perez, VL
Published Date
- May 2018
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 189 /
Start / End Page
- 65 - 70
PubMed ID
- 29470971
Pubmed Central ID
- 29470971
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1879-1891
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1016/j.ajo.2018.02.009
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States