A cornea specialist may prescribe weeks of refrigerated eye drops for neurotrophic keratitis—an injury pattern where nerves no longer keep the corneal surface healthy. Oxervate (cenegermin-bkbj) is recombinant human nerve growth factor supplied as multidose vials in weekly cartons. The everyday takeaway is mastering pharmacy-to-fridge handoff, daily vial prep, and contact-lens timing—not treating the drops like ordinary artificial tears from a drugstore shelf.
NGF drops for a nerve-related corneal problem
UniProt lists beta-nerve growth factor (P01138), the endogenous peptide growth factor cenegermin is designed to match. Neurotrophic keratitis sits in the broader family of corneal surface disease; the National Eye Institute’s corneal-conditions overview explains why nerve damage, infection aftermath, or surgery can leave the cornea slow to heal. Oxervate is labeled specifically for neurotrophic keratitis, with clinical programs using multi-week courses in the affected eye(s). That is a different assignment from cyclosporine drops for dry-eye inflammation or from growth-factor gels used on diabetic foot ulcers.
Fridge logistics most patients actually manage
Pharmacies store weekly cartons frozen; patients receive an insulated pack and must move the carton into a home refrigerator within a few hours, then keep it cold for the labeled window (on the order of two weeks for an unopened weekly carton). Each morning, one vial is prepared with the delivery-system adapter for that day’s drops; an opened vial has a short same-day use window and must not be refrozen. If other eye medicines are in play, separate them by at least 15 minutes, and use Oxervate before thicker gels or ointments. Contact lenses come out before each application and wait 15 minutes after the drop before going back in.
Missed drops are resumed at the next scheduled time rather than doubled. Healing after an 8-week course is not guaranteed forever—trials noted recurrences in a minority of healed patients—so follow-up exams still matter even when the eye feels better.
Questions that change what you notice next. Ask who will be home when the specialty pharmacy delivers, where the weekly carton will live in the fridge away from the freezer wall, how to mark the dose card, what to do if a vial freezes by mistake, and how lens wear or other drops fit the 15-minute spacing rule. Keep the Delivery System Kit instructions with the carton so a second caregiver can prep a vial without guessing.
Not medical advice.
Sources
- DailyMed: Oxervate (cenegermin-bkbj) prescribing information
- National Eye Institute: Corneal conditions
- UniProt: Beta-nerve growth factor (P01138)
Related reading
- Restasis cyclosporine drops for dry eye
- Syfovre eye injections for geographic atrophy
- Regranex PDGF gel for selected diabetic foot ulcers
By The Everyday Brief. AI-assisted drafting with human editorial review. Sources fetched 2026-10-11 PT. Not medical advice.