Those who are suffering from corneal disease may be able to have their vision restored with the help of stem cells found in umbilical cords.
Findings presented at the annual meeting for the American Society of Cell Biology indicated that when human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells into mices eyes that had insufficient lumican, a protein dealing with vision, transparency was restored in the mices cloudy corneas.
While some people may be turning to natural supplements to help with their blurry vision, this study may be good news for those who suffer from corneal disease, as it can be very hard to treat.
“Worldwide, there is a shortage of suitable corneas for transplantation, and at the present time, there is no effective alternative procedure besides corneal transplantation to treat corneal blindness,” said Dr. Winston Kao, one of the studys researchers. “There is a large need to develop alternative treatment regimens, one of which may be the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells.”
The researchers also noted that there is no shortage of availability for these stem cells, which is one of the benefits to the study.