What Are Vital Tears™?
Vital Tears are autologous serum eye drops made from a patient’s own blood. Instead of using artificial tears, we incorporate patients’ blood with the goal of better mimicking natural tears.
What Makes Vital Tears Different?
Vital Tears Are:
Preservative Free
Vital Tears are preservative free. We develop our serum tears to prevent eye damage and infalmation.
Custom Made
Vital Tears are custom made to prevent optimal doses as advised by a patient's physician.
Safe
Vital Tears are processed in a medical laboratory with validated safety procedures.
Microfiltered
Vital Tears are microfiltered to remove pathogens and enhance patient safety.
What Are Autologous Serum Eye Drops?
Eye doctors have prescribed serum tears for over 30 years. Autologous serum eye drops (ASEDs), autologous serum tears (ASTs), or just serum tears are customized drops made from a patient’s own blood to treat those suffering from ocular surface conditions. They are highly effective, well-tolerated and have ingredients that artificial tears just can’t replicate, but which promote healthy growth and healing of the ocular surface. Some of the ingredients in ASEDs that are found in natural tears but which aren’t available in artificial tears include antibodies, albumin, Vitamin A, and special growth factors important for healthy eyes known as epidermal growth factors.
Why Are Autologous Serum Eye Drops Used?
Serum eye drops have been used to treat a wide range of ocular surface diseases: from severe dry eye syndrome caused by rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, keratitis, or keratoconjunctivitis sicca, to moderate temporary dry eye symptoms following LASIK surgery. Because these eye drops are derived from the patient’s own blood as opposed to that of blood donors, there is no risk of eye drop rejection (known as graft versus host disease). Specialty ophthalmology groups such as the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society, and the International Task Force on Dry Eye all recommend ASEDs to treat moderate to severe dry eye based on their members’ success in treating dry eye symptoms with ASEDs.
