ReviewTherapeutic advances in ophthalmology
Topical erythropoietin in the management of scleral necrosis: a narrative review.
Review in Therapeutic advances in ophthalmology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Etiology, surgical management, and outcomes of patients with scleral thinning.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Scleral necrosis is a rare but severe complication caused by various etiologies. The main therapeutic approach is topical and systemic medical treatment. Surgical interventions may be indicated in unresponsive cases. These approaches, however, may fail to control the scleral necrosis. In addition, both medical and surgical treatment may lead to a number of ocular and systemic side effects, calling for noninvasive but effective treatment for the management of scleral necrosis. This review aims to summarize current studies investigating the role of topical erythropoietin in the treatment of scleral necrosis caused by various etiologies. Different electronic databases were extensively searched for relevant studies published until May 30, 2025, using the following keywords: "erythropoietin" AND "scleral necrosis" OR "necrotizing scleritis" OR "scleral ischemia." The primary outcomes assessed were the indication for topical erythropoietin administration, with secondary outcomes including the efficacy and ocular and systemic safety of treatment with this medication. Seven studies reported the outcomes of the administration of topical erythropoietin for the treatment of scleral necrosis. Of which, two were experimental studies, two were single case reports, including three eyes of two patients, two were case series, including 11 eyes of 11 patients, and one was a nonrandomized case-control study, including 11 eyes of nine patients. Etiologies for scleral necrosis were chemical burns in 15 eyes, thermal burn in one eye, surgically-induced scleral necrosis in six eyes, and systemic autoimmune diseases in three eyes. The necrotic lesions were improved in all eyes 9-90 days after the initiation of treatment with topical erythropoietin. Regarding ocular safety, two eyes developed granulation tissue, which resolved after the cessation of the treatment. Corneal vascularization was observed in 16 eyes with limbal stem cell deficiency due to chemical/thermal burns. No intraocular vascularization or systemic adverse reactions were observed during treatment with topical erythropoietin. Topical administration of erythropoietin can be safe and effective for the management of scleral necrosis caused by various etiologies. However, more studies, including randomized clinical trials, are needed to establish the role of topical erythropoietin in the treatment of this rare but sight-threatening complication.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.