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.