Autologous Serum Eye Drops

Autologous serum eye drops (ASED) are eye drops made from a person's own blood serum. "Autologous" means cells or tissues obtained from the same individual — so these drops are made specifically from your blood.

Blood serum has biomechanical and biochemical characteristics that closely mimic natural tears. Studies have shown that the epithelial cells of the eye are better supported by autologous serum than by synthetic lubricant eye drops.

Important: Before these eye drops can be made, microbiology and virology testing must be completed and show negative results.

ASED are used to treat:

• Ocular surface disease
• Chronic, severe dry eyes
• Keratoconjunctivitis sicca
• Persistent epithelial defects

Since the drops are made from your own serum, they contain vitamins, growth factors, and other chemicals important to eye health — components not found in manufactured eye drops.

The process involves several steps:

1. Your ophthalmologist provides a prescription and a laboratory requisition
2. You attend a lab to have blood drawn
3. Your blood is processed to extract the serum
4. The serum is sent to our compounding pharmacy
5. We dilute the serum to the prescribed concentration and package it in eye dropper bottles

The most common concentration is 20% serum solution. Concentrations of 25%, 40%, and 50% may also be prescribed depending on the severity of your condition.

• These eye drops must be refrigerated at all times
• Use within the timeframe indicated on the label
• Do not use if the solution appears cloudy or discolored