A groundbreaking stem cell treatment for blindness has successfully restored vision in patients with severe eye and cornea damage, offering hope to those who have lost their sight due to burns, infections, or disease.
Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear reported in a recent trial that 93% of patients who received the stem cell treatment regained vision. The treatment for blindness involves using a patient’s stem cells from a healthy eye to repair damage in the affected eye.
Breakthrough in eye treatment
The cornea, the clear layer at the front of the eye, helps focus light and is essential for vision. At its outer edge, special stem cells work to repair damage and replace worn-out cells. However, in severe injuries, such as chemical burns, infections, or certain diseases, these repair cells can be destroyed, making natural healing impossible.
Traditional cornea transplants only replace the center of the cornea and do not restore these lost stem cells. Without them, the eye cannot heal properly, leaving patients permanently blind in the affected eye.
Researchers developed a cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell transplantation method to address this. In this procedure, doctors take stem cells from a patient’s healthy eye, grow them in a lab, and then surgically transplant them onto the damaged cornea. The therapy helps the eye heal naturally without the risk of immune rejection.
Successful clinical trials
The treatment was first tested in 2018 on four patients with chemical burns. Doctors tracked their progress for a year, finding the procedure safe and effective. This was the first time such a stem cell therapy had been performed in the U.S.
Building on those results, researchers conducted a larger trial with 15 patients with blinding cornea injuries from burns, infections, or other causes. According to a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications, the team monitored the patients for 18 months.
After the trial period, 14 of the 15 patients showed significant improvement. Success was measured in three ways, according to lead researcher Dr. Ula Jurkunas: the damaged cornea’s surface healed, obstructing blood vessels shrank, and patients reported less pain and discomfort.
Notably, 70% of the patients experienced better vision following treatment. Those with the most severe injuries took longer to respond, and one patient who had extensive eye damage did not fully benefit from the procedure.
There were no major side effects linked to the treatment. However, one patient developed a bacterial infection unrelated to the procedure.
Expanding treatment to more patients
Currently, the therapy is only available to patients who are blind in one eye, as it relies on harvesting stem cells from their healthy eye. However, researchers are working on a new approach to use stem cells from organ donors instead.
This advancement could allow doctors to treat both eyes in patients who need it, though the risk of immune rejection has to be managed.
The research team plans to conduct further trials to test the long-term effects of the therapy. They also aim to compare it to a sham treatment in a randomized controlled trial— the gold standard of clinical research—to confirm its effectiveness.
If successful, this treatment could revolutionize the treatment of severe corneal injuries, restoring sight for many who previously had no recovery options.