Clinical Ophthalmology (Dec 2022)
Effect of Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Drops in the Treatment of Ocular Surface Disease
Abstract
Jennifer B Nadelmann,1,2 Vatinee Y Bunya,1 Gui-Shuang Ying,3 Peiying Hua,3 Mina Massaro-Giordano1 1Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 3Center for Preventive Ophthalmology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USACorrespondence: Mina Massaro-Giordano, Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Tel +1-215-662-8100, Email [email protected]: Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous preparation that concentrates platelets in a small volume of plasma. The purpose of this study was to determine if PRP eye drops improved the symptoms and signs of ocular surface disease.Patients and Methods: A retrospective case series was conducted of patients who were prescribed PRP eye drops. Subjects were excluded if they did not have follow-up, underwent intraocular surgery prior to follow-up, received nerve growth factor treatments, or did not have a baseline examination with photography. Symptoms were assessed using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Patients also underwent a slit lamp exam, ocular surface staining with fluorescein and lissamine green, and Schirmer testing.Results: The charts of 47 patients treated with PRP drops for ocular surface disease were reviewed. Sixty-four eyes of 32 patients were included in the study who had photographs of lissamine green staining taken at baseline and at follow-up. Thirteen patients (28%) had ocular graft-versus-host disease, 16 patients (34%) had Sjögren’s syndrome, and 4 patients (8.5%) had rheumatoid arthritis. There was a statistically significant decrease in OSDI score from baseline to follow-up (39.5 vs 30.8 points, p = 0.02). Among the 64 eyes included, 9 (14%) had an improvement in conjunctival lissamine green staining, while 6 (9%) had an increase in staining at follow-up. Among the 20 eyes with Schirmer testing, there was a borderline significant increase in score from baseline to follow-up (5.9 vs 9.7, p = 0.06). Among the 44 eyes that had corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) reported, 8 (18.2%) had decreased staining and 2 (4.5%) had increased staining at follow-up.Conclusion: Treatment with PRP drops was associated with a significant improvement in symptoms in patients with ocular surface disease. Future larger prospective studies are needed to further evaluate the efficacy of PRP drops for treating ocular surface disease.Keywords: ocular surface disease, cornea, lissamine green, Ocular Surface Disease Index, platelet-rich plasma
