New frontiers in ophthalmic medicine
Many diseases are incurable by means of contemporary medical treatment where regenerative medicine holds promise. Gene and stem cell therapy, part of regenerative medicine have showed their promise and are becoming upcoming useful treatment approaches for different types of eye diseases that are currently left untreated with available treatment options.
Gene therapy is a technique for correcting defective genes by replacing an abnormal or disease-causing gene with a normal one. And stem cells have the capacity to replicate, regenerate and become specialised cell types (such as skin, muscle, blood, brain and nerve cells) and ability to replace damaged cells.
At least 160 gene mutations or abnormality have been considered that may cause genetic diseases of the eye. Genetic manipulation or cell transplantation in eyes is more feasible and effective with fewer complications as compared to other organs. A revolutionary gene therapy treatment for a type of inherited blindness called Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA) was successfully started in 2007. Transplantation of cultured corneal stem cells has been shown to be a safe and effective method of reconstructing corneal surface and restoring useful sight in patients with unilateral Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency (LSCD), which is a very painful blinding disease.
Gene therapy also aims to cure corneal abnormalities occur in diabetic patients called diabetic keratopathy, where cornea becomes prone to poor wound healing and other disorders can cause pain and may lead to vision loss. Again, dry macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of vision loss in individuals over the age of 55, has showed success in treatment with human embryonic stem cells. The encouraging point is that clinicians and scientists have already developed new tools based on stem cell therapies to repair damaged ocular surface and retinal cells in various conditions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, chemical injury etc.
Many hospitals and clinics in India, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are now offering this treatment and more and more people seem to get the benefit. Similarly, our public and private sectors can think over making the new cell based treatment available locally.
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