Before PBS treatment (top left); one month after treatment (top right); two months after the end of treatment (bottom left); and after one month of CBS treatment.

In a new study, Italian scientists have found cord blood to be superior to adult blood serum eye drops for treating severe dry eye disease (DED), resistant to conventional therapies.

The multicentre, double-masked, cross-over clinical study included 60 patients with severe dry eye randomised into treatment groups: A, treated with cord blood serum (CBS) drops; and B, with peripheral blood serum drops, eight times a day for one month. “Corneal staining was more significantly reduced after the CBS treatment; both visual analogue score and Ocular Surface Disease Index score reduction was observed in both groups, but group A reported significantly less grittiness and pain,” wrote researchers. “Overall, DED signs improved after both CBS and PBS treatments, with potential advantages of CBS for subjective symptoms and corneal damage reduction.”

The study was published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.