Alcohol delamination can be alternative treatment for recurrent corneal erosions

Patients who did not respond to conservative management of recurrent corneal erosions had dramatic relief of symptoms following alcohol delamination, according to a recent study.

The prospective single-center consecutive descriptive case series, conducted by Harminder S. Dua, MD, PhD, and colleagues, investigated the efficacy of alcohol delamination in managing recurrent corneal erosions (RCE) in 12 patients.

“Alcohol delamination appears to be a novel, simple, inexpensive treatment for RCEs,” the authors wrote. “Unlike other methods, the removed epithelium is available as a sheet that may be subjected to further examination, though some of the changes observed may reflect the effect of alcohol on the epithelium.”

Patients were treated with alcohol delamination, and a pain score was recorded based on intensity. Follow-ups were recorded at 1 week, 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year to monitor recurring symptoms and corneal morphology, the authors wrote.

From 6 to 40 months after treatment, 11 of 12 patient eyes had a dramatic relief of symptoms, the authors wrote.

“There were no residual effects from the application of alcohol noted in any patient,” they wrote.