ArticleOphthalmology and therapy2026
Topical Insulin for Corneal Persistent Epithelial Defects: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.
Article in Ophthalmology and therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Combined use of insulin eye drops and cross-linked hyaluronic acid canalicular gel for the management of severe neurotrophic keratopathy.American journal of ophthalmology case reports · 2026Article
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15 authors.
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Abstract
introductionThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of insulin eye drops in a real-world cohort of eyes affected by corneal persistent epithelial defects (PEDs) refractory to conventional therapy.
methodsThis retrospective study included consecutive patients with refractory PEDs treated with topical insulin (1 IU/mL) four times daily. Clinical end points were: time to complete reepithelialization, cumulative probability of closure, longitudinal changes in defect area, postclosure complications, recurrence, and changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA).
resultsA total of 45 eyes from 43 patients (mean age 64.6 ± 15.6 years) were included. The most common etiology was chronic ocular surface diseases (62.2%) followed by neurotrophic keratopathy (37.8%). Complete epithelial closure was achieved in 44 of 45 eyes (97.8%), with a median time to closure of 29 days (95%CI 24-38). The cumulative probability of complete reepithelialization was 20.0% at 14 days, 53.3% at 30 days, 90.5% at 60 days, and 95.3% at 90 days. A biphasic healing pattern was observed, with marked early reduction of the defect area progressively slowing over time (p < 0.001). Median BCVA improved from 2.0 to 1.0 logMAR at epithelial closure (p < 0.001). Two eyes (4.4%) experienced PED recurrence: one case regressed after first-line treatment while the other case progressed to corneal melting and ultimately required Gundersen flap surgery. No treatment-related adverse events were recorded.
conclusionsTopical insulin may represent a safe, effective, and accessible therapeutic option for refractory PEDs, achieving high rates of complete reepithelialization with concomitant visual improvement and low short-term recurrence in a heterogeneous real-world cohort.
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