Serum Tears and Nerve Regeneration Success?

[Max]

My doctor also recommends 3 tbs of fish oil to help as well. Not more than one teaspoon of cod liver because of too much vitamin A.

Flax Oil, Kril Oil, Vitamin A. You have to take an awful lot of cod liver oil to actually overdose on vitamin A.

I've been on prescribed oils for years now.

[Tanner]

You shouldn't go over 10,000 iu from what I am told.

[Orla]

Thanks so much for this post Tom - I have been despairing over the pain in my eye for the last 8 months (I had an acid burn and have corneal neuralgia now...oooowwwww)

Just wondering though - where can you buy those Serum Tears you are referring to? I looked online and it seems they are made out of your blood - is that true? I am extremely squeamish, but I'll do anything at this stage.

Any help would be much appreciated,

Orla.:-)

[Max]

Flax Oil, Kril Oil, Vitamin A. You have to take an awful lot of cod liver oil to actually overdose on vitamin A.

I've been on prescribed oils for years now.

It depends on what country you get your statistics from.

[Cali]

Thanks so much for this post Tom - I have been despairing over the pain in my eye for the last 8 months (I had an acid burn and have corneal neuralgia now...oooowwwww)

Just wondering though - where can you buy those Serum Tears you are referring to? I looked online and it seems they are made out of your blood - is that true? I am extremely squeamish, but I'll do anything at this stage.

Any help would be much appreciated,

Orla.:-)

Orla - The autologous serum drops need to be prescribed by an ophthalmologist. You would go to a lab to get your blood drawn (they draw a number of vials) and they spin it in a centerfuge to separate out your “serum.” The serum is then sent to a compounding pharmacy where depending on your prescription, they mix it with unpreserved saline solution (BSS). So you may have a prescription for 20% serum and 80% BSS, or 50% serum and 50% BSS. Just depends on what your doctor prescribes. You need to use them at least 8x/day (every two hours) for them to work.

The blood draw is no big deal. I was nervous my first time. I was extra well-hydrated before the draw and brought some coconut water to drink afterwards. I’ve had many draws since then and it’s no big deal. Don’t even bring the coconut water anymore. I just cruise on out and all is well. First time nervous, after that I don’t even flinch anymore – I talk politics with my lab tech during the draw now!

To see the process, here is a link to a YouTube video of a guy who makes his own at home. He got graft vs. host disease after cancer treatments so cannot produce any tears. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kmTTfGFQgQ

[Katewest]

How often do you have to go get more serum? My doc is about 4 hrs away

[Cali]

How often do you have to go get more serum? My doc is about 4 hrs away

It's a numbers game. The rule of thumb I go by is "3." Once you get your drops, you put them in the freezer. They are good for three months in the freezer. They are actually "viable" for up to six months, but lose their potency after three.

Once you open a vial (store all in freezer and take one out for use), they are good for 3 days in the fridge. They are "viable" for I think up to 6 days but the human growth factor starts to die off after three and they lose their potency.

How many droppers you get will depend on your prescription (you get more if your prescription is 20%, less if it's 50%). Plus, the amount of serum in your blood varies per individual. But this doesn't much matter if you go by the rule of "three." So, I go every three months. It's not the doctor you will see to get your serum made. It's the lab. Work with your doctor to find a lab closer to your home. I worked backwards. It is typically a compounding pharmacy that will make your drops. A separate, independent lab usually draws, centerfuges your blood and sends to the compounding pharmacy. Not all labs prep for serum drops. So, it is your doctor that will send you to a lab that works with the compounding pharmacy to make the drops. You can ask your doctor to locate a lab closer to your home, or, ask for the name of the compounding pharmacy that will be making your drops. Call the pharmacy and ask for the name of a lab they work with closer to your home.

That's what I did. I called the compounding pharmacy and told them where I live. They gave me the name of the lab closer to my home. My serum is drawn near my home and shipped to the lab (far from my home). The lab compounds my drops and then ships them back to me on dry ice (usually a 2-3 day turnaround time).

Usually you will be able to locate a lab close to you. The compounding pharmacy might be far. If that is the case, the lab will ship to the pharmacy and the pharmacy will make your drops and ship to you on dry ice.

Or, you will need to make a whole day of it and coordinate with both the lab AND the compounding pharmacy. Meaning, go to the lab at the crack of dawn that's near the compounding pharmacy. Coordinate the serum being sent to the pharmacy shortly after it is centerfuged (they have to sit for a bit prior to centrifuging so estimate 2-3 hours after your blood draw). Account for time to have serum delivered to pharmacy. Have lunch while the pharmacy compounds your drops (about 2 hours or so). Pharmacy will then pack your drops in dry ice and styrofoam cooler for you to bring home that afternoon.

[Orla]

Thank you so much for this information Cali. I really appreciate it and am investigating it straight after typing this!
Best of luck to you all, I will let you know of my progress. :-)

[Max]

Does serum hold any hope for me? I was sent to a specialist to get it but my regular eye doctor thought serum helped produce tears but the opthamalogist at Duke first said yes and then wouldn't do it He said it only works a short time if at all and can cause infections.

[Cali]

Does serum hold any hope for me? I was sent to a specialist to get it but my regular eye doctor thought serum helped produce tears but the opthamalogist at Duke first said yes and then wouldn't do it He said it only works a short time if at all and can cause infections.

Serum does not produce tears. They are the closest thing to replicating your own tears (as opposed to over the counter drops). This study explains how they work: http://kenes.com/iser2012/abstractcd/pdf/O320.pdf

One of the moderators, indrep wrote: autologous drops are an attempt to reverse the osmolarity of the ocular surface. It takes about 60-90 days for the osmolarity to change and then the healing process of cells takes another 60-90 days. Any nerve issues can take longer.

They only cause infections if you are not careful with the drops. Meaning, they are made in part of your own blood serum and in part "unpreserved" saline solution. So since they are preservative free, and "living," they must be kept cold at all times when a dropper is in use (kept in the fridge like any dairy product or produce to keep it fresh). And you need to be careful about keeping the tip of the dropper clean, not touching your lids when dropping or touching it with your fingers. Other than that, they will not cause an infection.

[buntbean]

I watched the video and I'm feeling a bit queazy right now but how much blood do they have to take? I've had corneal neuralgia for 8+years. Not sure if the drops would help at this point. I can't believe my Boston MA doctor has never even mentioned them to me! Is there an eye doctor in Mass that treats corneal neuralgia?

[nwong08]

It's been years since this post...I'm just curious to know how everyone's outcomes/improvements have been since this was posted. I just had Lasik a little over a month and would like to get autogolous serum drops to help with nerve regeneration and the dry eyes.

[farmgirl]

That would be a good idea. They are not really a wetting drop, they do however provide stem cells and nutrients for the eye to stay healthy and heal.

[pythonidler]

Serum tears have helped me tremendously. Before, my eyes felt gritty whenever I blinked. After serum tears, the nerves started to heal and I no longer felt grittiness when blinking. Also, my eyes felt "calmer" when I woke up in the morning (inflammation was reduced significantly).

[nwong08]

pythonidler farmgirl can an optometrist prescribe serum drops? Or does it have to be an opthalmologist?