Serum Eye Drops: Implementation, Upscaling, and Patient-Centered Care - Insights from a Blood Bank in Western Austria.

BACKGROUND: Serum eye drops (SEDs) have emerged as an important therapeutic option for the management of severe ocular surface diseases, particularly in cases refractory to conventional treatments. Despite their proven efficacy, the implementation and expansion of SED therapy in clinical practice present logistical, regulatory, and clinical challenges. Although we started producing SED rather recently in 2018 at the Central Institute for Blood Transfusion and Immunology in Innsbruck, Austria, we were producing more than 750 monthly packages in 2024. We were able to establish a service-oriented workflow for our constantly growing number of patients, also reflecting the urgent need for this therapy.

SUMMARY: This review provides an overview of the indications and mechanisms of action of SED, summarizes current evidence for their efficacy and safety, and details the stepwise approach taken to implement and upscale SED therapy at our blood bank. Key aspects include patient selection criteria, preparation, and quality control of autologous and allogeneic SED, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the development of standardized protocols. The article also addresses barriers encountered during implementation, such as regulatory requirements and resource allocation, and outlines solutions adopted to ensure sustainable and patient-centered care.

KEY MESSAGES: SEDs represent a valuable addition to the therapeutic arsenal for ocular surface disorders, offering significant benefits in selected patient populations. It is therefore important that more blood banks in Europe include SEDs in their product portfolio in the future to meet the increasing demand. However, the successful implementation and upscaling of SED therapy require multidisciplinary collaboration between blood bank, ophthalmologists, pharmacies, and health insurances, as well as excellent logistics infrastructure, to comply with strict regulatory requirements. Standardized protocols, continuously ongoing staff training, and patient education are critical for optimizing clinical outcomes and ensuring the long-term sustainability of SED programs in large medical centers.