Determining the healing effect of platelet rich fibrin (PRF) membranes by measurement of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression on corneal chemical trauma caused by sodium hydroxide (NaOH)

The prevalence of ocular chemical trauma reaches 22% of all ocular traumas. Two-thirds of ocular chemical trauma is caused by alkali, and the rest is from acid and alcohol. The incidence of ocular chemical trauma is higher in men. The prevalence in children aged 1 to 2 years is twice that of adults. Ocular chemical trauma is an emergency that requires immediate evaluation and treatment. One of the chemicals that often causes ocular chemical trauma is alkaline substances (e.g., sodium hydroxide/NaOH), which have lipophilic properties that allow them to penetrate the eye more quickly and are more dangerous than acids. Corneal damage with a local hypoxic environment such as in chemical trauma can increase VEGF expression and increase local inflammatory processes involving several cytokines that can stimulate corneal epithelial cell migration and help wound closure, such as IL-6. One of the treatments for ocular chemical trauma is the PRF installation which contains many important growth factors in the wound healing process. Measurement of VEGF and IL-6 expression in theory can be used to help determine the healing effect of PRF membranes in corneal alkaline chemical trauma caused by NaOH.