Serum In Fridge - 3 days or 5 days

[Cali]

Serum went "missing" in my first autologous serum blood draw on Monday. Turns out the pharmacist overfilled each dropper vial. When I picked up my drops, the pharmacist said that I was to use each opened vial for "3 days only, kept in the fridge, then throw it out." He repeated himself twice to make sure I understood. Now it turns out, I have excess serum in each vial and I can now use each opened vial for "5 days kept in the fridge," per the pharmacist.

Which is it? I don't trust them now.

How quickly do the drops degrade and isn't there an issue with sterility? These are 100% serum drops, no preservatives, no saline.

Also, it's only been two days, but I don't need to use my TheraTears as much. I think these are going to work for me. But, my right eye, which has always given me more trouble....well, I looked closely at it for the first time today. I looked at an area that typically hurt. It is located on my lower lid right where the white part meets the red part when you pull your lid out. There is a small area which look's like a "bubble." Like almost a soap bubble with a little hole in the middle. Is this a cornea erosion? When the doctor drew a picture of what my eyes looked like under the slit lamp, she added a bunch of dots with her ball point pen. Are these erosions that the serum drops will help heal?

Boy, you really need to get an education on this stuff.

[Guest]

Seems to me there's a lot of variation in what pharmacies tell patients about how long serum is good for.

Where I live, they typically dispense the serum in either 7.5 or 10ml bottles, and tell patients each bottle is good for 1 month if kept refrigerated (and 3 mo. frozen). Based on some abstracts I've read on serum and the stability of it's components, it seems to me that it is very likely that serum may be more effective if it's fresher than that... so I request mine in 3ml bottles, and each bottle lasts me about 4-5 days. (not 100% certain on the 4-5 days since I no longer pay all that close attention to how fast I use up each bottle... but that should be a pretty close estimate anyhow) Getting mine in 3ml bottles costs a bit more, but I don't care since it's not excessively more.

I think not enough is known about serum drops to give a 100% definitive answer on how long it's good for once thawed and in the fridge... hence the wide variation in what patients are told by different pharmacies.

As for the bubble thing, I don't know much about that... hopefully someone else will come along who does!!

[Cali]

Great, thanks SAAG. I won't worry about it then. The pharmacist cited the most recent studies stating that they are viable up to 5 days in the fridge. It's good to know that you're OK and not picking up an infection at 4-5 days. I guess that was my main concern, that they're safe. But, also effective. I told the pharmacist that I don't even keep "leftovers" for 5 days, thus my concern.

I think the bubble is a "punctate epithelial erosion" but I'm not sure. Thank goodness I just found it this morning or I probably would have been obessessing about it for days on end. I only looked because the serum drops seem to be really working except just in that particular area.

[Guest]

It's good to know that you're OK and not picking up an infection at 4-5 days. I guess that was my main concern, that they're safe.

Definitely be very very careful to never touch the dropper tip with anything - in the past, if I've screwed up and done that by accident, I've just tossed out the bottle. I suppose if one didn't want to toss it, one could try cleaning it with an alcohol swab, but I've never tried that.

[LauraK]

I was told by my pharmacist that I could store up to 7 days in the refrigerator and then to get rid of. The frozen ones could be stored up to 3 months. I hope that helps.
I have also developed some of the clear looking bubbles on the white part of my eye and was told by the eye doctor these are nothing to be concerned about it. Evidently if they get bigger or one the pupil of eye they can extract.

[PotatoCakes]

Ditto Laurak - I was told 7 days for refrigerated, 3 months for frozen. The place where I get them says longer but my physician says 7/3 based on research and studies they've done at the hospital re: efficacy.