If you have been managing chronic dry eye, you know it can feel like a constant battle. Chronic dry eye is a condition where your eyes do not produce enough lubrication, either not enough or not nourishing tears, leading to discomfort, blurry vision, and irritation.
If conventional therapy fails, fortunately, there is another option that can complement your current care by using your body’s own natural biology to heal the surface of your eyes: Autologous Serum Tears (AST). First utilized in 1975, these custom drops have a long history of safe use, are completely preservative-free, and are well-tolerated over long periods. These personalized drops are generally used for patients with significant dry eye disease who have had insufficient improvement from other treatment modalities.
What Are Autologous Serum Tears?
“Autologous” means made from your own body. To create these drops, a technician draws a small sample of your blood and spins it in a machine to separate the red blood cells from the serum (the clear, nutrient-rich part of your blood).
This serum is then used to make personalized eye drops, typically diluted to a 20% to 50% concentration. Because these drops are made from your own blood, they are completely unique to you—no one else can use your drops.
Why Your Blood Can Help Heal Your Eyes
Your natural tears do much more than just provide moisture; they contain specific vitamins and proteins that protect and repair the surface of your eye. When your eyes cannot make enough of these natural compounds, the surface can become damaged.
Remarkably, your blood serum is very similar to natural tears, while containing higher amounts of essential healing elements. These include the essential growth factors needed to help repair the ocular surface and reset the dry eye cycle over time (6-12 months of use).
Supporting Medical Studies
A report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology analyzed multiple clinical trials and found that the vast majority of patients with severe dry eye experienced improvements in their comfort, as well as measurable improvements in their tear film stability. Furthermore, each study evaluating these drops for treatment of persistent corneal epithelial defects showed substantial improvement.
Regrowing the Corneal Nerves
Chronic dry eye can sometimes damage the delicate nerves in the cornea, leading to a specific type of burning or nerve pain called neuropathic dry eye disease.
A study from Harvard looked at patients with neuromas (or obtunded corneal nerves). They discovered that using a 20% concentration of serum tears 4 times a day over 6 to 12 months regrew those damaged structures back into normal nerves.
In our practice, Dr. Pradhan has used these Autologous Serum Tears to bring relief to many patients struggling with severe dry eye, painful recurrent erosions, chemical burns to the eye and patients with dry eye pain.
Where to Get Your Drops & How to Store Them
If your eye doctor recommends serum tears, your prescription can be filled locally through RX3 Pharmacy. We are fortunate to have this local pharmacy as an amazing resource for our patients. You can also use a streamlined online program called Vital Tears that helps coordinate your blood draw and ships the drops right to your home.
Safety & Storage Rules
Because these drops are entirely natural and contain no artificial preservatives, they must be handled carefully to keep them clean. The healing growth factors remain stable as long as you follow these simple storage rules:
- In the Freezer: Keep your extra bottles standing upright in the freezer (where they stay fresh for 3-6 months).
- In the Refrigerator: Only keep the single bottle you are currently using in the fridge, and discard it after 2 weeks.
- Hygiene: Always wash your hands before use and never let the dropper tip touch your eye or fingers. If you ever notice increased redness, swelling, or discomfort, stop using the drops and call us right away. Also make sure the color of the eye drops does not change or become cloudy.
Because autologous serum tears are custom-made from your blood rather than mass-produced, they are not covered by health insurance.
However, the cost is comparable to premium over-the-counter brands. A 3-to-4-month supply costs approximately $500, which breaks down to about $25 per bottle—nearly identical to what you would pay out-of-pocket for high-end artificial tears at the drugstore, but with the added benefit of epithelial healing.
As another option for surface healing, PDGF (Platelet-Derived Growth Factor) eye drops can also be custom-compounded for you by an RX3 Pharmacy. Dr Pradhan does not use this formulation as much as the autologous serum drops which work so well.
Your lifestyle, your systemic health, and your vision are all deeply connected. If you’re interested in learning how autologous serum tears or other advanced therapies can support your eyes, call our office today at (804) 270-3333 to book a dry eye consultation with Dr. Pradhan. We are here to support your Vision Healthspan!