Groundbreaking: Alabama Man Restores Vision Lost in Accident through Stem Cell Transplant

Patients with severe eye injuries may benefit from an experimental procedure that uses stem cells from one eye to treat injuries in the other eye. The procedure, known as a stem cell transplant, was tested as part of the first US study of its kind. The technique is designed to treat a corneal disorder called limbal stem cell deficiency, which can occur after chemical burns and other eye injuries. Patients without limbal cells are unable to undergo corneal transplants that are commonly used to improve vision. The experimental technique involves taking a small biopsy of stem cells from the healthy eye, growing them in a lab, and then transplanting them into the injured eye. The study found that all patients saw their cornea surfaces restored, with some patients also receiving additional treatments such as transplants of artificial corneas. A larger study is currently underway.

The results of the study offer hope to people with severe eye injuries who have few other treatment options. Currently, doctors do not have a reliable source of cultivated limbal stem cells. The experimental procedure using a patient’s own tissue is considered preferable to an alternative procedure that uses a large piece of stem cells from a healthy eye, as the latter carries a risk of damaging the good eye. The researchers are finalizing the next phase of the clinical trial, which will involve 15 patients. The procedure could potentially benefit around 1,000 people per year in the US alone, and similar research has been conducted in Japan.


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