Autologous Serum Tears

What are Autologous Serum Tears

Autologous serum tears are a highly effective advanced treatment for dry eye disease. They are a good option for patients who have had no relief with other dry eye treatments. Autologous serum tears are eye drops made from the patient's own blood plasma. Serum tears contain vital components for the health of the ocular surface that are also found in our natural tears. The composition of the serum is very similar to our natural tears.

How do Autologous Serum Tears Work

Serum tears work by providing the eye with key growth factors and cytokines, found in our natural tears, which are essential for the health of the ocular surface including epidermal growth factor, nerve growth factor, transforming growth factor beta, platelet derived growth factor, fibronectin, albumin, and vitamin A.

How are Autologous Serum Tears Prepared

Envision Specialty EyeCare and Dry Eye Center has made obtaining serum tears easy for our patients by providing this advanced dry eye treatment in our clinic using the PALATM kits by AseptiKits. A small amount of your blood will be drawn at our clinic by a professional technician. The blood will then be separated into its various components using a centrifuge. The serum is collected and diluted with sterile saline to the desired concentration, usually 20-50% serum. The diluted serum is then separated into several eye dropper bottles for easy use. Serum tears need to be kept frozen until use. Patients are instructed to thaw 1 vial at a time in the refrigerator for daily use. Serum tear vials should be kept in the refrigerator or on ice while in use.