Visually loss due to corneal damage and is generally described as irreversible vision is now repaired by a new treatment method. Developed by scientists in Massachusetts Eye and Ear, stem cell therapy has successfully repaired serious damage to the cornea and rejected patients to see their ability to see.

The new hope -giving treatment method reclaims vision ability

The cornea is a transparent tissue that forms the outer layer of the eye and allows light to focus on the retina. This structure, which is constantly exposed to external influences, is normally capable of self -repair and is performed by limbal epithelial stem cells. However, as a result of serious injuries such as chemical or thermal burns, the natural healing mechanism of the cornea may be insufficient and permanent visual loss may occur. In such cases, even corneal transplantation may be insufficient.

The new treatment method developed by scientists is based on the principle of reproduction of stem cells taken from the healthy eye of the patient in the laboratory environment and then transported to the damaged eye. This innovative approach eliminates the risk of tissue rejection because it uses patients’ own cells and accelerates the healing process.

The researchers included 14 patients in the treatment process and followed the results for 18 months. The success of the treatment was primarily evaluated according to the degree of repair of the cornea surface and the secondary visual acuity improvements. In the first three -month checks, 50 %of the patients (7 patients) were completely restored, while this rate rose to 79 %(11 patients) per month. Partial success was observed in two patients. These results show that Calec treatment has a highly high success rate of 92 %.

Another point that draws attention in the study is that the three patients need a second stem cell transplant and one of these patients achieved full success at the end of the study. In visual acuity tests, most patients reclaimed the vision ability to at a certain extent, while some patients were legally able to switch to low vision from blind status.

As a result, there was no serious side effect due to the procedure in neither donor or receiving eyes during the treatment. This shows that the security profile of the method is also quite high. Researchers state that these positive results have paved the way for new studies with wider patient groups and longer follow -up times before the Calec treatment is submitted to FDA approval.