title: Treatment of recurrent corneal erosions using autologous serum.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of autologous serum in the treatment of recurrent corneal erosions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven eyes of 11 consecutive patients with acute macroform corneal erosions who had suffered several relapses despite receiving different types of treatment were analyzed from November 2000 to February 2002. All patients were treated with autologous serum for 3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean follow-up time was 9.4 +/- 3.7 months (range, 4-16). No side effects were noted in any of the treated patients. Treatments prior to the use of autologous serum had failed to avoid recurrences in all the patients, with the mean recurrence rate being 2.2 recurrences per month of follow-up. After the onset of serum treatment, only a single recurrence was recorded in three of the patients (0.028 recurrences per month of follow-up).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of autologous serum for the treatment of patients with recurrent corneal erosion is effective and safe in reducing the number of recurrences experienced by patients.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Oftalmológicas Ramón Castroviejo, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Manuel Benítez
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: del Castillo
authors.forename: Jose Maria Martínez
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: de la Casa
authors.forename: Ricardo Cuiña
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Sardiña
authors.forename: Rosalia Méndez
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Julian García
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Feijoo
authors.forename: Alfredo Castillo
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Maria Matilla
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Rodero
authors.forename: Julian García
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001769:Blood; D003320:Corneal Ulcer / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012449:Safety; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D016896:Treatment Outcome