Stem Cells
Return Sight To
Burn-Injured
Eyes
(AP) Italian
researchers have
developed an
approach to
recover sight to
patients'
burn-injured
eyes with
transplants of
their own stem
cells, according
to AP reports
Thursday.
Success was
maintained
long-term in all
cases. Among the
46 patients with
stromal
scarring, 21
recovered normal
vision with at
least 0.6 visual
acuity after
additional
surgical
procedures to
correct stromal
scarring. The
rest had a
partial recovery
of vision.
"They were
incredibly
happy. Some said
it was a
miracle," said
one of the study
leaders,
Graziella
Pellegrini of
the University
of Modena's
Center for
Regenerative
Medicine in
Italy. "It was
not a miracle.
It was simply a
technique."
The approach
would not help
people with
damage to the
optic nerve or
macular
degeneration.
Nor would it
help those
blinded by burns
in both eyes
because doctors
need stem cells
to do the
procedure.
"The key is
whether you can
find a good stem
cell population
and expand it,"
said Dr. Sophie
Deng, a cornea
expert at the
UCLA's Jules
Stein Eye
Institute.
Currently,
people with eye
burns can get an
artificial
cornea, a
procedure that
carries such
complications as
infection and
glaucoma, or
they can receive
a transplant
using stem cells
from a cadaver,
but that
requires taking
drugs to prevent
rejection.
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