Dry eyes can be treated with serum from donor blood

People with extremely dry eyes can be given serum eye drops derived from blood. For decades, this has been done with serum obtained from the patient's own blood (autologous). Researchers of Radboudumc, in collaboration with Dutch blood bank Sanquin, are showing that serum from donor blood (allogeneic) can be used. The results of their research into this have now been published in Acta Ophthalmologica.

Most people who suffer from dry eyes are helped by artificial tears, eye drops that replace the tears. These are simply available at the chemist's or pharmacy. But in the Netherlands several hundred patients suffer from extremely dry eyes, whereby these artificial tears do not help sufficiently. These are people with eye disorders who, due to inadequate tear function, have extremely dry eyes that even cause wounds on the cornea. These can be painful, or even cause cloudiness in the cornea, endangering vision. Examples include dry eyes in Sjögren's syndrome (an autoimmune disease in which the tear and salivary glands are inflamed) or chronic Graft versus Host disease (a reverse form of rejection, in which donor cells reject the body of the recipient person).

Serum eye drops from the patient's own blood

For decades, these patients have been able to be treated with so-called serum eye drops made from the patient's own blood: autologous serum drops. Serum is the clear liquid that remains when blood has coagulated. Serum is very similar to tear fluid in that it contains, among other things, proteins that have a restorative effect on damaged corneas. Serum eye drops can therefore take over the function of natural tears and thus protect the cornea from damage.

Donor blood can also be used

Researchers of Radboud university medical center and Sanquin have now shown that it is also possible to use blood from donors, allogeneic blood, for this purpose. In this study, test subjects used serum eye drops from their own blood for one month and serum drops from donors, developed by Sanquin, for one month. Questionnaires and eye examinations were used to compare these periods: the effect was similar and no significant side effects occurred. This can be a good solution for patients who are unable to donate blood themselves for this purpose, for medical or practical reasons.

Not yet available for large groups of patients

Ophthalmologist of Radboud university medical center Cathrien Eggink, last author of the article: "We are very pleased that this study now shows that these donor serum eye drops work for patients just as well as autologous serum eye drops. These are available at all times, the patient now does not have to wait several hours after donating their own blood for the drops to be made!" Furthermore, there is now the possibility that the own ophthalmologist who wants to prescribe these drops requests them from Sanquin. Due to the high cost of serum eye drops, a limited group of patients are currently eligible for these eye drops.

Publication

Allogeneic and autologous serum eye drops: a pilot double-blind randomized crossover trial – Pieter F. van der Meer, Sanne K. Verbakel, Aine Honohan, Jos Lorinser, Rogier M. Thurlings, Joannes F.M. Jacobs, Dirk de Korte, Catharina A. Eggink. DOI: 10.1111/aos.14788.

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