Serum Tears: Steps for getting the overall best dry eye treatment (eye doctor's personal experience)

Serum tears are custom eye drops made from a person’s own blood. This natural remedy is highly effective in treating dry eye, which can be a debilitating condition for many of my patients.

At Austin Eye, I’ve been sending patients to NuCara Pharmacy for years to receive this therapy, and I’ve witnessed its positive results firsthand. Since I’m planning to have LASIK soon and experience mild dry eye, I’ve decided to be proactive and get serum tears in preparation for the surgery and recovery.

Here’s the process for obtaining serum tears at NuCara:

1. Eye exam and prescription: Your eye doctor will evaluate your eyes to determine if serum tears are necessary, and they’ll write you a prescription. The prescription packet will provide instructions on how to get your serum tears at NuCara.

2. Blood draw: Next, you’ll need to have your blood drawn. This can be done at NuCara or at Any Lab Test Now. I chose Any Lab Test Now since they accept walk-ins and it was more convenient for my schedule. Alternatively, you can schedule an appointment with NuCara.

3. Processing the blood: After the blood is drawn, it needs to be processed into serum tears. Since I went to Any Lab Test Now, I waited about 45 minutes for the processing, then took my blood to NuCara Labs (a 5-minute drive). Once there, I dropped off my blood with the prescription form, and they created the serum tears.

4. Pick-up: After the serum tears are ready, you’ll pick them up at NuCara. I went to work, saw some patients, and returned in the afternoon to collect my drops. NuCara will give you an estimated time for when the serum will be ready, but the timing can vary based on their workload.

5. Using the serum tears: Store the majority of your serum vials in the freezer, and thaw one vial at a time for use over 3-4 days. Be sure to keep the thawed vial cold at all times to reduce the risk of contamination.

Note: I have no financial interest in the product discussed in this video.