Allogeneic serum-based eye drops may give better results than autologous drops in Sjögren's syndrome dry eye

Abstract

Purpose

Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) may cause severe dry eye symptoms. One of the therapeutic option known for almost 40 years are autologous serum eye drops (ASEDs). Due to the presence of many pro-inflammatory factors in the autologous serum of SS patients, the use of allogeneic serum is often considered a better option. In our facility almost one-fifth of the patients using allogeneic serum-based eye drops (alloSEDs) suffered from autoimmune diseases, including SS. The study aim was to compare the effectiveness of both ASEDs and alloSEDs in SS patients.

Methods

From the group of SS patients using alloSEDs, five female SS patients aged 39–73 years were selected. They had the longest history of the use of the product. The analysis was based on OSDI forms and internal questionnaires which compared the effects of ASEDs and alloSEDs application. The patients used alloSEDs for a period of 5–28 months. All had previously used ASEDs for at least 2 years.

Results

For all five patients the mean OSDI after application of ASEDs and before introducing alloSEDs was 68.71, while the mean OSDI after the use of alloSEDs was 30.49.

Conclusion

In SS the treatment results are better with alloSEDs than with ASEDs. Almost all SS patients who applied both autologous and allogeneic drops reported better effects with the latter as also confirmed by the study cases.