Serum drops

[peter56]

Only in the UK, the DES patients are getting the serum drops for free from the
a nation wide serum drops supply system.
In most other european countries, only a very few eye hospitals are still making serum
drops for their patients only and the drops are very expensive.
So many patients have been forced to make the serum drops at home.
That is a very simple procedure and the quality is the same like from a professional
labratory!
It takes a table centrifuge,
the Serum tubes,
the emty bottles and some syringes.

The manufacturing procedure we are using here in central Europe
is somewhat different from the
one described is this article.

http://www.revoptom.com/content/d/dry_eye/c/33139/

The centrifuges and the serum tubes even in North america are coming from a german
company, Hettich-centrifuge EBA20, and the tubes from Sarstaedt.

In europe a used EBA20 can be obtained for about 400 euro at Ebay.
In North america there are obviously only new EBA20 available - 800USD.

The costs for a good daily Ration of drops is only about 70cent!

So if People are living far away from a hospital-labratory or cannot afford the high
costs, making the drops at home is a good option.

[Guest]

Well, I can understand someone resorting to this if desperate.

However, I worry that someone would get an infection, either from drawing the blood, or the serum drops themselves.

Doing it this way will mean the serum won't be made in a sterile environment - when hospitals/labs/pharmacies prepare serum drops, the blood goes directly from a sterile vein, through the middle of a sterile needle, into a sterile vial. The only time the blood is exposed to air is in a sterile hood (even the air is sterile here). This way, when the patient gets the drops, they are sterile, unless the patient contaminates them.

On the one hand, assuming one doesn't give oneself a blood infection from drawing their own blood, I suppose the risk of overly contaminated serum could be minimized by freezing it immediately after bottling it. Plus, before getting started, wipe down the entire work area with 70% rubbing alcohol and allow it to dry, make sure there are no drafts, swab your skin with rubbing alcohol before sticking it with the needle etc. And any bottles currently in use could be made so that they contain no more than a single day's worth of drops for example (the less time they are thawed the better, since that means less time for any bacteria in there to multiply, and less chance of there being enough bacteria present to cause an infection), and of course, keeping the bottle currently in use in the fridge so the cooler temps further minimize the growth of bacteria.

For sure the risk of infection will be higher from do-it-yourself serum making compared to getting it done by the professionals.

[farmgirl]

I think that drawing the blood could be the big stumbling block here

[spmcc]

I remember reading here about someone in California who bought his own centrifuge and other equipment to make his own serum drops. He had a phlebotomist come to his home every couple of months or so to draw the blood.

[Guest]

I think that drawing the blood could be the big stumbling block here

Yes, no doubt about it!

I remember reading here about someone in California who bought his own centrifuge and other equipment to make his own serum drops. He had a phlebotomist come to his home every couple of months or so to draw the blood.

I remember that too!

[DCRdryeye]

A top ophthalmologist who works with dry eyes says whilst he does prescribe serum drops, he does so only to the correct patients. He's seen serum drops make MGD worse.

[soaps]

A top ophthalmologist who works with dry eyes says whilst he does prescribe serum drops, he does so only to the correct patients. He's seen serum drops make MGD worse.

Yes happened to me. i think serum drops may b overused resulting in worsening of symptoms. you really need to have a Dr on board .

[Guest]

A top ophthalmologist who works with dry eyes says whilst he does prescribe serum drops, he does so only to the correct patients. He's seen serum drops make MGD worse.

I'd be very interested in what characteristics he thinks make up a "correct patient."

I had MGD from the start, yet even though I've been using serum drops, my MGD was still able to resolve once I figured out the major contributing factor (in my case, a wheat sensitivity). Also, I was very lucky in that the serum drops started to alleviate some of my ocular discomfort very soon after starting them (within days if I recall correctly... and despite having MGD).

Personally, I don't think enough is known about how and why serum drops help some patients and not others, so I don't have much confidence that anyone could know for sure who will or will not benefit from them.

As for seeing serum drops make MGD worse, I'd argue that lots of things can make it worse, and we often cannot know if something (whether serum or something else) will make us worse or better until we try it. (within reason, of course)

ex. artificial tears have made some people's MGD worse... Azasite has made it worse for some... wheat has made it worse for some (me)... dairy has made it worse for some, eating tomatoes have made it worse for some (ex. MGD caused by ocular rosacea where tomatoes are a trigger food)

I've done a looooooot of reading on serum drops, and I don't think there is any compelling evidence that it shouldn't be used for patients with MGD. Not saying there might not be some individuals for whom MGD is made worse by serum, but I doubt very much that one can know for sure ahead of time...

The DEWS report has some good info on serum drops, including references to various studies if anyone is interested in looking them up: http://www.tearfilm.org/dewsreport/p...DEWS-noAds.pdf

[DCRdryeye]

Thanks for the input SAAG. Basically, this doctor said he would prescribe the serum drops to me if I wanted to try it, but since he sees hundreds of dry eye and MGD patients, his own clinical experience and feedback showed the serum made MGD worse in some cases, not all.

I agree, we don't know until we try. But since this doctor has an excellent reputation and runs the only dry eye specialist clinic in Australia, I opted to take his word for it.

He took me off steroid drops and Doxy since they were not working (he saw no change in my symptoms and glands) and although he couldn't prescribe "3% Testosterone Cream" due to medico-legal reasons (advice from his lawyer), I had already hunted down a script and had it compounded and been using it two weeks prior to my appointment with this great dry eye specialist. He said he was in the USA and involved in the development of the cream, but not able to prescribe it in Australia. How frustrating is that!!! Anyway, he wants me to remain on the Testosterone cream for a few months and wrote a prescription for Azythromycin ointment (Azasite) to be compounded if the Testosterone cream does not work.

He's a caring and compassionate doctor. It's worth having travelled by train and at least 20 hours to see him. So my next visit won't be for another 8 months after a trial of T cream and if needed Azasite. So it's trial and testing like you said, all the while I'm still trying to get scleral lens fitted. I am changing optometrists for that. When will it ever end!!

[soaps]

It results in skin growth over glands. that's wat I've been told and was observed in my own eyes post serum use 3weeks. its trial and error i guess . but its good to have dr monitoring as otherwise my eyes would have gotten worse with serum use. i still use it but less.

Oh dcrdryeye how does testosterone cream work? Is it helping ? did dr c recommend it? Very interested to know how u got it. btw i got the NAC from US but i thought it was coming from Melbourne. lol it sure was express shipping. but Im too chicken to try it.

[DCRdryeye]

Dr. C initially didn't recommend Testosterone cream, but said he can't prescribe it by advise from his lawyer during my first visit. So I told him I'll obtain it somehow, and I did. He gave me Minims and Doxy, and after 4 months I saw him again (just last week) and there was no change. I informed him I'd been on "3% Testosterone Cream" and he was rather happy about it. He wants me to remain on it for a few months and if no results, we have a back up Azasite ointment script ready to use.

Yes, Dr. C explained what serum drops can do to MGD exactly how you said it, "It results in skin growth over glands" (probably because of the growth factors in it).

Do a search for Testosterone cream here and on google and you'll find information. It works particularly well in post menopausal women. I'm using it because I was tested very low in "free testosterone" so it may assist me.

[DCRdryeye]

but Im too chicken to try it.

soaps, NAC is very safe. It's essential to help detoxify the liver but most importantly it's a main building block to a major enzyme antioxidant called Glutathione which is very protective. Take up to 600mg a day. I saw a brand that was 1,000mg a capsule and will purchase it soon, I'd have no problem with it and look forward to trying it. However, I want to see what this Testosterone cream does otherwise if I get improvement I won't know if it's the NAC or T cream

[Guest]

It results in skin growth over glands. that's wat I've been told and was observed in my own eyes post serum use 3weeks. its trial and error i guess . but its good to have dr monitoring as otherwise my eyes would have gotten worse with serum use. i still use it but less.

Good that you were being monitored soaps!!

Just curious, but when you experienced the skin growth over your glands, how many times per day were you using the serum? And what concentration were you using?

[soaps]

Thanks dcrdryeye !! Im definately not menapousal lol. do u think gp can prescribe testosterone cream ? I fully understand u will wait before trying NAC. i try a new combo of treatment each week and anything new affects results.

Saag - yeah pain was unbearable from over serum use. i thought it was plugs. i use 20% and was on 8 times a day . now on 3 one eye only and much better.
Perhaps it could improve nerves long term but pain is unbearable due to worse mgd.

[Guest]

Saag - yeah pain was unbearable from over serum use. i thought it was plugs. i use 20% and was on 8 times a day . now on 3 one eye only and much better.
Perhaps it could improve nerves long term but pain is unbearable due to worse mgd.

Wow! Thanks for the added info - that's really something that it happened with even a lower concentration like 20%! Yikes!

I'm glad it's still working for me, but I'll def. keep an eye on my MG's to make sure they are stable and not getting worse!