An experimental transplant of stem cells from one eye to damaged tissue in the other eye has shown promising results in restoring vision. 

Stem cells are a type of cell that haven’t yet differentiated into specialized cells. More simply, they can be thought of as “blank slates” that don’t yet have a function. They’ve been used in the past for replacing damaged tissue such as skin damaged by burns and bone marrow transplants for patients suffering from leukemia. Only recently has this revolutionary method been expanded to damaged ocular tissue.

The specific procedure tested was designed to treat limbal cell deficiency, a condition that occurs when chemicals burn away limbic cells of the cornea’s outer layer. Patients without limbal cells are unable to get standard corneal transplants.

Phil Durst, a participant in the experimental procedure, endured chemical burns to his eyes in 2017, leaving him blind in both eyes and suffering from 4 to 5 debilitating headaches a day. He was the first patient to undergo this procedure, and has now regained almost complete vision in his formerly damaged eye. 

“The great part of it is that we’re using a patient’s own tissue,” said Dr. Ula Jurkunas, an ophthalmologist at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston and the lead investigator for the study. She estimates that about 1,000 people in the U.S. can benefit from this procedure. 

The use of stem cells in the medical field unlocks many new opportunities. This procedure is just the beginning of a whole new field of research and medical advancements with the use of stem cells.