NHS researchers have published new findings suggesting that a clinic-based treatment using a sutureless amniotic membrane dressing may help some patients with painful, slow-healing corneal wounds recover faster and need fewer hospital appointments.
Teams at Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust reviewed real-world NHS care for patients with persistent corneal epithelial defects (PEDs). These are open wounds on the cornea, that fail to heal within 14 days despite appropriate treatment.
PEDs can cause significant pain, light sensitivity and blurred vision, and may increase the risk of serious complications, including infection, scarring and, in severe cases, sight-threatening perforation.
The study, published in Eye, found that patients receiving conventional care often required months of treatment, repeated follow-up appointments and multiple therapies or procedures.
In the new treatment arm, clinicians used Omnigen, a sutureless amniotic membrane dressing produced by NuVision Biotherapies UK. The thin biological layer, derived from donated amniotic membrane, is applied to the eye using a specialist contact lens known as OmniLenz. It acts as a temporary protective cover, helping create conditions for the corneal surface to heal, and can be applied quickly in an outpatient clinic without stitches or surgery.
According to the published comparison data, patients treated with the sutureless approach had higher healing rates, shorter overall treatment duration, fewer outpatient appointments and lower modelled treatment costs. The researchers said the findings suggest that, for suitable patients, earlier use of the clinic-based option could reduce time spent living with symptoms, lower the risk of complications and ease pressure on outpatient services.
The paper also points to the wider burden of corneal surface disease in the UK’s National Health Service. Using Hospital Episode Statistics data and related corneal coding, the authors estimate there are more than 138,000 episodes each year associated with corneal ulcers and epithelial defects, episodes that are primarily managed in outpatient settings.
Mohamed Elalfy, a consultant ophthalmologist working across Queen Victoria Hospital and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, said persistent corneal wounds can be “incredibly painful and disruptive” for patients.
“Our findings show how resource-intensive this can be for both patients and the NHS,” Elalfy added. “The evidence also suggests that a sutureless amniotic membrane dressing is an important tool in the armamentarium for treatment of these cases.”
A patient who received the membrane dressing said: “The membrane treatment was new to me, but it has helped reduce pain, made my eye feel more comfortable and protected, and is supporting the healing process. I’m very grateful to the team for their care and for offering a treatment option I hadn’t experienced before.”
Source: Queen Victoria Hospital.
