Perspects of the Cell Therapy in Ophthalmology 1. Use of Stem Cells in the Regeneration of Damaged Ocular Surface

Regeneration of corneal epithelium is secured by a population of limbal stem cells (LSC), which are located in the basal part of the limbal epithelium. Deficiency in LSC leads to chronic inflammation, scarring and conjunctivization of cornea. Therapy of LSC deficiency consists in transplantation of limbal tissue, cultivated limbal epithelium or more recently in tranplantation of autologous cells including mesenchymal stem cells, oral mucosal epithelial cells or hair follicle-derived stem cells. A significant progress has been achieved in the field of cell therapy and also in the development of convenient scaffolds for the growth and transfer of cells on damaged cornea.