ABSTRACT
Autologous serum drop (ASD) is a safe and efficient treatment option for most of the ocular surface diseases. We report a case of a persistent corneal epithelial defect in a patient treated by ASD. A 28 year old male patient presented to our clinic with eye pain and blurry vision in his left eye. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in the right eye and 20/200 in the left eye. Slit lamp examination revealed a central corneal epithelial defect on the left eye and the right eye was normal. Corneal epithelial defect appeared after left upper eyelid chalazion surgery and persisted for 2 months without any response to treatment with eye patching, bandage contact lenses, and artificial eyedrops. We started the treatment with ASD six times daily and preservative-free netilmicin eyedrops four times daily to prevent infection. The drops were used simultaneously with eyepatching for the first two days. The eye was left unpatched after the second day. The corneal epithelial defect resolved after 48 hours. We did not detect a new epithelial defect in the follow up visits. ASD is a quick, safe, and effective treatment option in persistent epithelial defect cases.
Subject(s)
Corneal Diseases/therapy , Epithelium, Corneal/drug effects , Eye Pain/etiology , Ophthalmic Solutions/administration & dosage , Serum , Adult , Chalazion/surgery , Corneal Diseases/etiology , Corneal Diseases/physiopathology , Epithelium, Corneal/physiopathology , Humans , Male , Ophthalmic Solutions/therapeutic use , Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures/adverse effects , Postoperative Complications , Treatment Outcome , Visual Acuity , Wound HealingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: There is increasing evidence suggesting that nitric oxide (NO) is implicated in the pathogenic process of ischemic disease. The purpose of this study was to quantify the aqueous humor NO levels in patients with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) and in age-matched controls. METHODS: Aqueous humor specimens were obtained from seven patients who had been diagnosed with CRAO; the sampling was done within 12 to 24 hours of diagnosis. All specimens were obtained by paracentesis, which was performed as a therapeutic intervention. Samples of aqueous humor were also collected from 15 age-matched healthy patients undergoing cataract surgery, to be used as controls. For each sample, we assayed the amount of nitrite, which is the stable metabolite of NO, using the spectrophotometric method based on the Griess reaction. RESULTS: There were detectable levels of nitrite in the aqueous humor from five of seven patients with CRAO (mean level, 0.32 +/- 0.08 micromol/L). The levels in the control group were below the detection limit in all cases (<0.08 micromol/L). There was a statistically significant difference between the aqueous humor nitrite levels in the CRAO group and the controls (P = 0.0008). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that patients with CRAO present with elevated levels of NO in the aqueous humor. These findings may provide insight into the role that NO plays in CRAO.
