ASCRS 2025: Cryopreserved amniotic membrane could change how we approach neurotrophic keratitis

At the 2025 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) annual meeting, the Eye Care Network spoke with several clinicians and researchers about their presentation. Brett Bielory, MD, of Glassman Eye Associates in Teaneck, New Jersey, joined us in sunny Los Angeles, California, to discuss his poster. In Dr. Bielory's case report, he examined how room-temperature cryopreserved amniotic membrane can have a positive impact on corneal reinnervation for patients with neurotrophic keratitis.

Dr. Bielory said that neurotrophic keratitis (NK) is under-diagnosed, in large part because it presents similarly to related pathologies. In some cases, a diagnosis of NK may only come after a patient has experienced progressive levels of dry eye disease. In other cases, a patient may not develop NK until after undergoing refractive surgery. There are certain interventions which can reduce the negative impact of NK on patient satisfaction, Dr. Bielory said, and cryopreserved amniotic membrane may be a solution for some patients' cases of NK.