PROKERA®

Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane

Prokera® is a therapeutic device used by eye doctors around the world to protect, repair and heal damaged eye surfaces. Prokera® is made by clipping a piece of amniotic membrane tissue in between two rings made out of a clear, flexible material.

Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane (CAM), such as Prokera® , is biologically active corneal bandage device used by doctors to heal and treat eye diseases such as dry eye disease. It is one of the dry eye therapies we provide at this office.

CAM is also used to treat recurrent corneal erosions, filamentary keratitis, persistent epithelial defects, neurotrophic corneas, herpetic ulcers, and many other ocular surface diseases.

CAM devices can provide faster and more effective healing of the cornea with less scarring and inflammation, leading to clear corneas and improved clinical outcomes. There is no risk of increased eye pressure, as there is for certain other anti-inflammatory eye treatments. CAM devices are inserted in a doctor's office or hospital and they can be used in combination with other therapies.

Studies have shown that CAM can accelerate the healing of the cornea of the eye in patients with moderate to severe dry eye disease and result in a significant improvement in dry eye disease signs and symptoms for up to three months.

The therapeutic effect of CAM has been attributed to several factors. CAM acts as a bandage that keeps the eye moist by retaining tears and protects the surface of the eye from the surrounding environment. CAM also controls inflammation on the surface of the eye, which is important because inflammation triggered by immune responses is an important contributing factor to dry eye disease and a reason why dry eye disease is chronic. Scientists also think that CAM can restore the nerves in the cornea of the eye in dry eye patients. Reduced corneal nerve density is related to increased dry eye disease severity and restoration of corneal nerves should lessen dry eye disease symptoms by increasing the sensitivity of the cornea.  Other conventional topical anti-inflammatory therapies such as cyclosporine, corticosteroids, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been found to compromise corneal nerves and may explain why some patients do not respond.