AUTOLOGOUS SERUM is a new treatment for eye surface disorders, such as
severe dry eyes intractable to common therapy and certain corneal ulcers and
wounds. The blood serum is the fluid component of full blood which remains
after clotting. “Autologous” means that the blood to be used in the preparation
of the serum will be the the patient’s own blood. Blood serum drops have been
proven to maintain the shape and function of the corneal cells much better
than pharmaceutical tear substitutes, since its biological properties are similar
to natural tears as it contains a complex composition of water, salts, proteins,
vitamins, lipids, immunoglobulines and growth factors.
Even though many doctors and scientists worldwide have conducted studies that
show the benefits of using autologous serum drops, the US does not currently
have a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved protocol or giudance for
this process.
To make your eyedrops we will need to collect some of your blood in several
tubes and it will need to be allowed to clot for one to two hours. Then it will
be placed into a machine that spins the blood at a very high speed, causing
the red cells to separate from the serum. The serum will be taken and mixed
with artificial tears or balanced saline solution at a specific concentration.
The bottles need to be kept in your freezer at home and you will
to remove one bottle at the time, leaving it to thaw at room
After thawing, the bottle should be kept in the refrigerator. Your eyeMD
will advise you how frequently you should use the drops, but the most common recommendation is to apply the drops eight times daily.
This therapy is is restricted to individual physicians for their patients only. It is not covered under medical insurances and the patients are responsible for their cost.