Blog vol 4.45. More Results: A Treatment for Severe Dry Eyes, That Works!
In August of 2023 I did a blog on autologous serum, which is when the patient’s own blood is drawn, and the plasma is used to create eye drops. That was cutting edge at the time. This is what I love about the scientific method and the development of new technologies. Sometimes the discoveries are paradigm shifting, they get us out of our ruts and open new horizons of discovery. The using of serum to create patient-specific eye drops was ground-breaking.
The next step: Endoret. The previous autologous drops separated the platelets from the plasma with a centrifuge (think of it like a very fast salad spinner that lets the heavier platelets settle out). These platelets have blood clotting agents, so they were removed, BUT they are also rich in growth factors. These growth factors help promote healing of tissues and repair damaged ones. (Read more about Endoret here).
Drum roll, please. You do know what is coming?
In the new process, the blood is drawn, and the platelets isolated and treated so that these growth factors, called cytokines, are now included in the serum. These cytokines bind with receptors on the cell membrane which triggers the cell’s machinery to produce new cells. The result is tissue repair and growth in places where cell damage and death were occurring. This is ground-breaking for severe dry eye conditions like Sjögren’s syndrome, which result from your own immune system attacking the connective tissue of the eye (and other parts of the body, we are just talking eyes here).
In the past, we have thrown everything at these patients: lid treatments, non-preserved lubricants, cyclosporine drops, punctal plugs, scleral contact lenses, but still no relief. The first patient I sent for the Endoret treatment has returned, and the results are dramatic. The patient had 3 months of drops made, which they keep preserved in the cold until opened. The patient then uses the drop three times a day. The drop actually heals the tissue, with a lot less dryness and no dead cells noted on staining. The only drawback is the price which currently (April 2024) is $800 for a three-month supply.
This technology is useful in other areas of medicine as you can imagine. In fact, my daughter was treated for a knee injury in 2017 using her own blood to form PRP (platelet rich plasma) which was then injected into the injured area. The results were disappointing, not being clear whether the injections made any real difference. There is potential here, however, and the eye drops are VERY effective.
This is life changing for people with severely dry eyes. Dry eyes can be debilitating as they interfere with vison especially at night, cause ongoing discomfort, and increase the risk of damage and infection of the cornea. We are very excited to have a treatment that works, and we are excited to see people relieved of this burden, how awesome is that!
Til next week,
The good doctor
