Serum Tears and Nerve Regeneration Success?

[farmgirl]

I am not sure nwong if any Dr would prescribe it, I am sure they could if they were comfortable with writing a prescription for something that they probably know nothing about. For what it is worth mine are prescribed by eye specialists.

[nwong08]

Hi nwong
If your pain is short/sharp/sudden, often occurs in the middle of the night or when wake up most likey related to erosion?
What I have read is, it is a result of untreated dry eye (MGD?).

Oh my God that sounds bad. I am going to see a new optometrist January 2 so hopefully they can tell me what is going on when they do my eye exam. The thought of waiting till March to see the doc at Penn with the pains I've been having is frustrating. With all the other things going on with my eyes, I need prescription glasses just for my right eye. Thanks for your response MGD1701 . Have a Merry Christmas!

[MGD1701]

Hi nwong
If your pain is short/sharp/sudden, often occurs in the middle of the night or when wake up most likey related to erosion?
What I have read is, it is a result of untreated dry eye (MGD?).

[nwong08]

buntbean Dr Pedram Hamrah out of Tufts treats cornea neuralgia - great dr
nwong08 I have been on serum tears 5 years - got me 30% of nerves to regrow- and got me out of pain, along with probing and chamber glasses

Thank you tommyboy . I have an appointment with an opthalmologist at Penn who specializes in dry eyes but it's in March next year . Hoping I can get a script for setting drops sooner. I started getting these odd pains I didn't have before that started this week. A dull ache that comes and goes in both eyes and this dull pinching pain that feels like a needle price that comes randomly. Doesn't last though. And since the beginning I've been having aches/pressure in my eyebrows and around the orbit that I would just massage. Didn't think anything of it before but noticed it kept happening. I started xiidra this week and wonder if it is what is causing the odd dull pains I've been experien

Either way I'm hoping that the doc at Penn can help. I really hoped to see someone sooner. The dry eyes has really been kicking my butt. Eyes get red and the same blood vessels pop up everyday. Before it would calm down with some cold water, now it doesn't seem to budge. And I'm still trying to find longer lasting relief drops. I feel like relief with the drops I do now is so short lived. Trying to keep strong in this dark moment in my life.

I also am considering going to see Dr. Hamrah if need be. Another optometrist told me I was producing tears and to be happy with my outcome. That wasn't such a pleasant visit so I won't even go into that story. I know it's been years but would you happen to have contact info for Dr. Hamrah? Thanks in advance.

[tommyboy]

buntbean Dr Pedram Hamrah out of Tufts treats cornea neuralgia - great dr
nwong08 I have been on serum tears 5 years - got me 30% of nerves to regrow- and got me out of pain, along with probing and chamber glasses

[pythonidler]

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

I think any doctor can prescribe it, really.

[nwong08]

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

[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).

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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. :-)

[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.