Serial placement of an amniotic decellularized basement membrane (DBM) graft was associated with improvements in corneal epithelial staining, sensitivity, and ocular surface biomarkers in patients with subclinical or Mackie Stage 1 neurotrophic keratitis (NK), according to a study.
The study included 936 eyes from 488 patients with reduced corneal sensitivity, epithelial staining, and positive metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Patients underwent serial Biovance DBM graft placement over an average of 7 weeks, with follow-up every 1 to 2 weeks based on clinical response.
Corneal epithelial resolution occurred in all eyes with complete follow-up. Functional corneal sensitivity improved in 0.7% of Brill Level 3 eyes, 31.6% of Level 4 eyes, and 77.5% of Level 5 eyes. Mean graft utilization increased with disease severity, ranging from 3.08 to 4.30 grafts among the severity groups.
In eyes with abnormal baseline tear osmolarity, 70% to 82% achieved normalization following treatment. MMP-9 positivity also decreased across severity groups, with 56% to 66% of eyes converting to negative.
Reference
Ayres BD, Fram NR, Wu HK, et al. Retrospective Evaluation of Successive Biovance ® Decellularized Basement Membrane Tissue Grafts for the Management of Chronic Subclinical and Stage 1 Neurotrophic Keratitis. Clin Ophthalmol. 2026;20:599498. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S599498. PMID: 42199330; PMCID: PMC13199709.
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