Treatment of Severe Dry Eye in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome with Umbilical Cord Serum Eye Drops

Made Susiyanti; Denisa Anggi Kurnia; Iqbal Fasha; Yunia Irawati; Lisnawati Rachmadi; Isabella Kurnia Liem; Widya Artini

doi:10.2147/OPTH.S385078

Treatment of Severe Dry Eye in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome with Umbilical Cord Serum Eye Drops

Clin Ophthalmol. 2022 Dec 10:16:4089-4095. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S385078. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Made Susiyanti¹, Denisa Anggi Kurnia¹, Iqbal Fasha², Yunia Irawati¹, Lisnawati Rachmadi³, Isabella Kurnia Liem^{2

4}, Widya Artini¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia - Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.
² Cell Medical Technology Integrated Service Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
³ Department of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia - Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.
⁴ Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of umbilical cord serum eye drops for dry eyes in ocular Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

Patients and methods: A pre-post test study with umbilical cord serum (UCS) eye drop for ocular SJS patient with moderate to severe dry eyes. Study was conducted at Kirana Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital from June 2020 to December 2020. A total of five patients (five eyes) with a diagnosis of SJS more than 6 months, dry eye symptoms, and abnormal tear stability test results were included in the study. Each patient was asked to instill UCS drop into the affected eye six times daily. Evaluation of ocular symptoms with ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaires, non-invasive tear break-up time (NIBUT), Schirmer I, and keratoepitheliopathy scores was administered before applying UCS drop and at week 2 and 4 of eye drop use.

Results: From June 2020 to December 2020, five eyes of five patients were evaluated in this study. Patients were aged from 22 to 71 years old with history of SJS over periods from 1 to 35 years. Three patients underwent ocular surgeries prior to the study. After four weeks of treatment, symptoms score, Schirmer I, and keratoepitheliopathy scores improved significantly, while NIBUT scores improved insignificantly. No side effects were noted during treatment.

Conclusion: Administration of UCS eye drop was effective in improving symptoms and signs of dry eye in chronic SJS patients.

Keywords: dry eye; ocular Stevens-Johnson syndrome; umbilical cord serum eye drop.

Grants and funding

This study was made possible by funding from Universitas Indonesia through Publikasi Terindeks Internasional Sains Teknologi dan Kesehatan (PUTI Saintekes) 2020 grant with contract number NKB-2172/UN2.RST/HKP.05.00/2020. The sponsor had no involvement in any of the stages from study design to submission of the paper for publication.