Clinical Outcomes of 50% Autologous Serum Eye Drops for Contact Lens-Induced Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency: A Staging-Based Evaluation

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of treatment including 50% autologous serum eye drops in patients with contact lens-induced limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) using consensus-based staging. Methods: This retrospective study included 14 eyes of 11 patients with contact lens-induced LSCD treated with 50% autologous serum eye drops between 2017 and 2025. The primary endpoint was the change in LSCD staging at 3 months, evaluated according to the global consensus classification. Secondary outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), corneal epithelial defect, corneal neovascularization and corneal opacity. Results: Median LSCD stage decreased from 5.0 (IQR 5.0-6.0) to 4.0 (IQR 1.0-5.0) (p = 0.0027), with improvement in 76.9% of eyes and no progression. The severity of corneal epithelial defect (CED) and corneal neovascularization (NV) significantly decreased after treatment (p < 0.05, respectively), and corneal opacity showed a decreasing trend without statistical significance. At 3 months, BCVA improved in 64.3% of eyes, with the mean value decreasing significantly from 0.65± 0.41 to 0.51 ± 0.46 logMAR (mean change: -0.14 ± 0.22; p = 0.032). Conclusions: Treatment including 50% autologous serum eye drops was associated with significant improvements in consensus-based LSCD stage, epithelial integrity, neovascularization, and visual acuity in patients with contact lens-induced LSCD. These findings contribute additional evidence supporting conservative management for contact lens-induced LSCD.