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30-year experience of the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland in dry eye syndrome treatment using autologous serum eye drops
, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Affiliations- Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw (IHTM), Poland
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Abstract
Background: In 1991, the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (IHTM) was the first center in Poland to start the production of serum-based artificial tears, which were applied successfully in the management of multiple etiology dry eye syndrome (DES). DES is a common chronic condition associated with an abnormal tear film secretion, which may cause gritty eyes, eye pain, and often blurred vision.
Material and methods: The study analysis relied on the data collected over 30 years (1386 autologous whole blood donations from 662 patients), which included: the annual number of donations, patients’ age, gender, and underlying disease.
Results: The patient’s age at the first visit ranged from 7 to 92 years (55 on average). The vast majority were women (77%). DES of various severity and etiology was identified among the adult patients, and the most common disease entities were graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma, cataracts, and corneal damage due to trauma and/or surgery.
Conclusions: Many scientific reports confirm the effect of artificial tears in the treatment of DES. In Poland, artificial tears is still an underused therapy due to the high costs generated by expensive disposable materials and equipment and the time-consuming procedure of preparing eye drops for one patient.
Abstract
Background: In 1991, the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (IHTM) was the first center in Poland to start the production of serum-based artificial tears, which were applied successfully in the management of multiple etiology dry eye syndrome (DES). DES is a common chronic condition associated with an abnormal tear film secretion, which may cause gritty eyes, eye pain, and often blurred vision.
Material and methods: The study analysis relied on the data collected over 30 years (1386 autologous whole blood donations from 662 patients), which included: the annual number of donations, patients’ age, gender, and underlying disease.
Results: The patient’s age at the first visit ranged from 7 to 92 years (55 on average). The vast majority were women (77%). DES of various severity and etiology was identified among the adult patients, and the most common disease entities were graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma, cataracts, and corneal damage due to trauma and/or surgery.
Conclusions: Many scientific reports confirm the effect of artificial tears in the treatment of DES. In Poland, artificial tears is still an underused therapy due to the high costs generated by expensive disposable materials and equipment and the time-consuming procedure of preparing eye drops for one patient.
Keywords
artificial tears; serum eye drops; autologous serum; dry eye syndrome; DES; GvHD; Sjögren’s syndrome
About this articleTitle
30-year experience of the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland in dry eye syndrome treatment using autologous serum eye drops
Journal
Issue
Vol 8 (2023): Continuous Publishing
Article type
Original paper
Pages
56-61
Published online
2023-05-02
Page views
1988
Article views/downloads
357
DOI
Bibliographic record
Ophthalmol J 2023;8:56-61.
Keywords
artificial tears
serum eye drops
autologous serum
dry eye syndrome
DES
GvHD
Sjögren’s syndrome
Authors
Joanna Janus
Katarzyna Chmielewska
Magdalena Łętowska
Elżbieta Lachert
Agata Mikołowska
Jolanta Antoniewicz-Papis
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