Treatment with platelet-rich plasma of surgically related dormant corneal ulcers

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of autologous platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of dormant corneal ulcers secondary to corneal surgery and unresponsive to conventional treatment. Setting: VISSUM, Ophthalmology Institute of Alicante, Alicante, Spain. Design: Prospective nonrandomized, observational consecutive study. Methods: A total of 44 eyes of 28 patients with dormant corneal ulcers secondary to corneal surgery were included in a prospective study and treated with autologous platelet-rich plasma during 6 weeks. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the effect of the treatment. Results: In all, 28 patients (65.1%) improved their visual acuity at least one line in Snellen chart, 26 (59.09%) had a decrease in the size of the ulcer or even a total closure, and 40 (90.9%) experienced an improvement in their symptoms. The results are also provided for the four groups of patients (keratoplasty, refractive surgery, cross-linking, and chronic postsurgical corneal edema). Conclusion: Platelet-rich plasma eye drops shows to be a good option for the treatment of dormant corneal ulcers secondary to corneal surgery.