eye disorders
Corneal Transplantation
Corneal Limbal Stem Cell Transplantation
The eye, like other living tissues, depends on continual production of new cells to replace old ones. One place that this production occurs is where the cornea attaches to the conjunctiva (called the limbus). Certain kinds of injuries (for example, severe chemical burns or very severe and prolonged overwearing of contact lenses) damage these limbal stem cells so much that they can no longer produce enough new cells to keep the cornea covered. Infection and scarring can then affect the cornea. A corneal transplant does not replace the limbal stem cells and thus is of no benefit. Stem cells can be transplanted from the limbus of a person's other eye, if it is healthy, or from a person who recently died, sometimes curing or relieving the problem. After stem cells from a deceased donor are transplanted, people are given drugs that suppress the immune system so that their body does not reject the transplant (see Suppression of the Immune System ). 