To evaluate the renewal of corneal nerves structure and function in patients with neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) treated with recombinant human Nerve Growth Factor (rhNGF) eyedrops.
Prospective, interventional, before-and-after case series METHODS: This study included 18 patients with NK with a persistent epithelial defect or corneal ulcer, treated with topical rhNGF and age-matched healthy controls. Patients underwent clinical examination with corneal fluorescein staining, Schirmer 1 tear test, assessment of corneal sensitivity with the Cochet Bonnet aesthesiometer, and morphological examination of the nerves by In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks of treatment.
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IVCM analysis was used to assess corneal sub-basal nerve density, number of nerve branches, and the diameter of nerve fibers