Autologous Platelet-rich Plasma in the Treatment of Persistent Epithelial Defects

Persistent epithelial defects (PED) are corneal ulcers that do not heal within the first two weeks of treatment with artificial tears or ocular lubricant ointment. It is believed that this condition is the result of the loss of certain substances normally present in the tears that aid in the healing process of the cornea. When the eye is healthy, these ulcers typically heal rapidly. However, when there is an underlying disease such as diabetes, this healing process is altered and it takes longer for the ulcer to heal. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a substance that is obtained from the patient's own blood and it is believed this substance may replace those missing factors in the tears of patients with PED. The purpose of this investigation is to find out whether PRP combined with a bandage contact lens is better than preservative free lubricant combined with bandage contact lens or than eye patch with ocular lubricant ointment for the treatment of PED. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups and will get the treatment until the ulcer heals completely. We will count the days it takes for the PED to heal and based on that we will determine wich treatment is more effective (the treatment that takes the least days to heal will be considered the most effective). Since this disease is difficult to treat and doesn't have a gold standard treatment, usually the available treatments are not as good as we would like, therefore, the ulcer might progress even to perforation regardless of the treatment. In these cases, we will provide appropriate treatment for progressive corneal thinning and corneal perforation.

Persistent epithelial defects (PED) are corneal lesions that do not heal within the first two weeks of conventional treatment (i.e. preservative-free lubricant, bandage contact lens (BCL), ocular lubricant ointment, eye patching). These defects are the result of the loss of certain lacrimal factors that maintain the integrity and homeostasis of the corneal epithelium and ocular surface. Normally, PED heal rapidly in the healthy eye. However, underlying ocular surface pathology can slow down the healing process and contribute to the persistence of the epithelial defect. Hematopoietic derivatives such as autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) may replace these missing components and eventually lead to complete healing in a faster and more comfortable way for the patient. The objective of this study is to determine if PRP combined with BCL is more effective than preservative-free lubricant combined with BCL or than eye patch with ocular lubricant ointment for the treatment of PED. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups and treatment will be administered until achieving complete defect closure. The effectiveness of each treatment will be measured in terms of days taken to achieve complete closure. Since PED is a complex disease that is difficult to treat, the available treatments are not very effective, therefore, PED might progress even to perforation regardless of the treatment. In this last scenario, we will provide appropriate treatment for progressive corneal thinning and corneal perforation

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients with persistent epithelial defect and at least one of the following diagnoses:

  * Recurrent corneal epithelial defect.
  * Neurotrophic corneal ulcer.
  * Neurotrophic keratopathy secondary to any disease (i.e. diabetes mellitus, infection with herpes simplex virus or herpes zoster virus, microbial keratitis sequelae, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, VII cranial nerve palsy, chemical or thermic burn sequelae, trauma, surgery, iatrogenic, chronic dry eye, rheumatic disease).

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients diagnosed with:

  * Peripheral ulcerative keratitis, or Mooren's ulcer.
  * Active infectious keratitis and/or ulcers.