Maculopathy
Introduction
Macula is an oval shaped spot near the centre of the retina of the human eye. Macula is an important component responsible for vision. Diseased condition of macula is known as maculopathy. Various conditions like infections, age related degeneration etc may lead to maculopathy. Most common feature of maculopathy is gradual blurring and loss or of vision. It may progress to blindness. There is no effective medical or surgical treatment available for maculopathy. Some drugs are under evaluation which may stop the progress of the disease. But there is no cure available for disease.
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Treatment
Stem cell therapy is now fast becoming an alternative for various chronic degenerative conditions. This has been known to improve organ and nerve function. This has also been evaluated in maculopathy. Stem cells have the potential to become desired cells. They are the primary mother cells that are responsible for normal regeneration of various cells of the body. They can be obtained from bone marrow and for clinical use from the umbilical cord blood as well. The objectives are to administer stem cells in maculopathy, are to repair the damaged tissue, restore the blood vessels and improve the vision. With these objectives stem cell therapy has been evaluated in maculopathy. Expected results were to delay the progress of the disease, regeneration of damaged cells and improve vision.
The objectives are to administer stem cells in maculopathy, are to repair the damaged tissue, restore the blood vessels and improve the vision.
Initial results of stem cell therapy are encouraging. Injected stem cells can be transformed into new cells of the macula. They can reach the area of damaged tissue and rebuild the damaged tissue. The stem cells can also be injected directly behind the eye ball for quick regeneration of the damaged tissue. Initial results show that patients had improved eyesight. However long term effects of stem cell therapy remains to be seen. Detailed studies are required before establishing the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy in maculopathy.