ESCRS - PO196 - THE EFFECTS OF AUTOLOGOUS SERUM TEARS 50% ON THE CORNEA AND OCULAR SURFACE OF PATIENTS WITH SEVERE DRY EYE DISEASE DUE TO SJOGREN’S SYNDROME: A PROSPECTIVE, DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, CONTRALATERAL EYE STUDY.

THE EFFECTS OF AUTOLOGOUS SERUM TEARS 50% ON THE CORNEA AND OCULAR SURFACE OF PATIENTS WITH SEVERE DRY EYE DISEASE DUE TO SJOGREN’S SYNDROME: A PROSPECTIVE, DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, CONTRALATERAL EYE STUDY.

Published 2025 - 29th ESCRS Winter Meeting

Reference: PO196 | Type: Free Paper | DOI: 10.82333/s8sm-8r90

Authors: Konstantina Bachtalia* 1 , Sotiria Palioura 2 , Athina Plakitsi 1 , Adamantia Voudouri 3 , Chrysa Terzidou 4 , George Dalianis 4 , Gerasimos Kopsinis 5

1Department of Biomedical Sciences,University of West Attica (UNIWA),AthenAthens,Greece, 2Department of Ophthalmology,University of Cyprus Medical School,Nicosia,Cyprus, 3Cornea Department,Athens Eye Experts Clinic,Athens,Greece, 4Glaucoma Department,Konstantopouleio General Hospital of Nea Ionia ''Agia Olga'',Athens,Greece, 5Glaucoma Department,Athens Vision Eye Institute,Athens,Greece

Purpose

To evaluate how treatment with Autologous Serum (AS) tears 50% affects the cornea and ocular surface of patients with refractory Dry Eye Disease (DED) due to Sjogren’s Syndrome. 

Setting

Tertiary referral centers

Methods

Twenty eyes of 1O patients with severe immune-mediated DED were contralaterally randomized to the use of either AS tears 50% or artificial tears between June 2021 and May 2023. Changes in tear stability, ocular surface staining and in the morphology of the corneal sub-basal nerves were evaluated before treatment and at 1, 2 and 3 months after treatment using objective tests for DED and confocal microscopy. The microbiological integrity of AS tears 50% after the use was investigated using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

Results

Significant post-treatment increase of tear break up time, Schirmer’s test, corneal and conjunctival staining, nerve fiber density, nerve branch density, nerve fiber length and visual acuity (p < 0.05) was detected only in the AS tears 50% group at 3 months compared to baseline. Corneal nerve regeneration was proportional to tear stability and inversely proportional to the vital staining of the ocular surface. Microbiological analysis revealed the presence of Gram-negative bacteria in the remaining AS tears 50%. 

Conclusion

The use of AS tears 50% improves confocal microscopy findings, indications of severe DED and visual performance. Ocular surface healing following implementation of autologous serum 50% occurs alongside corneal nerve regeneration.  Autologous serum tears in higher concentrations show higher risk of contamination, prompting additional considerations for proper use to ensure safety.