Combined therapy of ocular surface disease with plasma rich in growth factors and scleral contact lenses

Purpose: To review safety and efficacy of combined plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) eye drops and scleral contact lens (SCL) therapy in patients with ocular surface disease.

Methods: Patients with ocular surface disease of various etiologies were screened for at least 3 months of concurrent treatment with PRGF and SCL. Retrospective pre- and post-treatment measurements were collected, including patient satisfaction, severity and frequency of dry eye symptoms measured by a modified Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE) questionnaire, visual acuity, and number of concurrent treatments.

Results: 26 patients with ocular surface disease were included in the study with 20 patients answering the questionnaire (77% response rate). There were no adverse events reported. Most patients thought the combined therapy was better than previous treatments and would recommend to others (80%, 90% respectively). SANDE scores significantly decreased after use of concurrent therapy. There was a small but significant decrease in the number of other concurrent treatments. Visual acuity was unchanged.

Conclusions: This retrospective cohort study found PRGF used in combination with SCL is safe and significantly decreases symptoms in patients with recalcitrant ocular surface disease.