A study that involved a revolutionary treatment using stem cells from the eyes of non-living donors is detailed in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.
Researchers hope that this pioneering treatment may hold the key to finding a cure for blindness that is caused by damage to the cornea.
Eight patients with condition known as Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) that destroys vision received stem cells from the deceased donors. They then had their damaged cornea repaired with two of the patients being able to read again.
The limbal stem cells were the focus of the study which is what most patients who are suffering from corneal blindness due to Limbal stem cell deficiency are lacking. When these particular cells are lost, the cornea becomes blurry and scarred. The researchers used samples from the donated eyes to grow the stem cells which were then transplanted into the patients' eyes.
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