Maternal serum eye drops are well tolerated and a potentially beneficial addition to the management of pediatric persistent corneal epithelial defects, according to research published in Cornea.

Researchers from the University of Colorado considered five eyes of four patients with persistent corneal epithelial defects in this retrospective review. They studied not only the feasibility of preparing the drops, but also each child’s ability to tolerate them and any complications that could be associated with treatment. The team reviewed other data including visual acuity, corneal examination and current and previous treatments. The duration of therapy and time of follow-up ranged from five to 28 months.

“All patients experienced improvement or resolution of their corneal epithelial defects within three weeks of initiating serum eye drops,” the researchers said. “Furthermore, there were no adverse effects from the use of allogeneic serum drops.”