Treatment of recurrent corneal erosions using autologous serum

Purpose. To study the effect of autologous serum in the treatment of recurrent corneal erosions. Methods. Eleven eyes of I I consecutive patients with acute macroform corneal erosions who had suffered several relapses despite receiving different types of treatment were analyzed from November 2000 to February 2002. All patients were treated with autologous serum for 3 months. Results. Mean follow-up time was 9.4 +/- 3.7 months (range, 4-16). No side effects were noted in any of the treated patients. Treatments prior to the use of autologous serum had failed to avoid recurrences in all the patients, with the mean recurrence rate being 2.2 recurrences per month of follow-up. After the onset of serum treatment, only a single recurrence was recorded in three of the patients (0.028 recurrences per month of follow-up). Conclusion. The use of autologous serum for the treatment of patients with recurrent corneal erosion is effective and safe in reducing the number of recurrences experienced by patients.