LOS ANGELES: Dozens of people who were
blinded or otherwise suffered severe eye damage when they were splashed with
caustic chemicals had their sight restored with cornea transplants from their
own stem cells — a stunning success for the cell-therapy field, Italian
researchers reported.
The treatment worked completely in 82 of 107
eyes and partially in 14 others, with benefits lasting up to a decade so far.
One man whose eyes were severely damaged more than 60 years ago now has
near-normal vision. Stem cell transplants offer hope to the thousands of people
worldwide every year who suffer chemical burns on their corneas from heavy-duty
cleansers or other substances at work or at home.
The approach would
not help people with damage to the optic nerve or macular degeneration, which
involves the retina. Nor would it work in people who are completely blind in
both eyes, because doctors need at least some healthy tissue that they can
transplant.
