Effectiveness of autologous serum eye drops in the treatment of corneoconjunctival burns

Abstract

Background: ocular burns are a health problem since they have a relevant place in the ophthalmological practice.Objective: to assess the effectiveness of 50 % autologous serum eye drops combined with the conventional treatment of corneoconjunctival burns in patients treated at the "Manuel Ascunce Domenech" Hospital of Camagüey, from September 2016 to December 2017.Methods: an analytical case-control study was carried out with patients diagnosed with corneoconjunctival burns. The sample included 48 people (79 eyes with burns), divided into two groups: cases, to whom autologous serum eye drops were added to the conventional treatment, and controls, who received conventional treatment. They were assessed at 24 hours, 7, 15 and 21 days. The following variables were included: age groups, sex, race, visual acuity, healing time, complications and treatment effectiveness.Results: there was a prevalence of the male sex with 35 patients (72,9 %) and the white race with 34 patients (70,8 %). The 40 to 49 age group included half of the sample. The cases showed better results at visual acuity recovery, evident in 26 eyes, compared to 10 in the control group. The healing time was much better in the cases, on average half of the time needed by the controls.Conclusions: the application of autologous serum eye drops combined with the conventional treatment proved to be effective in corneoconjunctival burns, with no complications reported.

Keywords

• ophthalmic solutions
• eye burns
• therapeutics