Stem Cell Therapy in Glaucoma

Abstract

Glaucoma is a chronic, degenerative optic neuropathy, which cause progressive damage to the optic nerve, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and characteristic damage to the visual field. Current glaucoma therapeutics lower intraocular pressure (IOP) but they do not repair the damaged optic nerve or reverse vision loss. So, new treatment strategies are in demand. Stem cell therapy presents a new intervention that holds great promise for reversing vision loss. There are at least 3 potential targets for stem cell therapy in glaucoma: the retinal ganglion cells , the optic nerve head, and the trabecular meshwork. Stem cells also have a neuroprotective effect in glaucoma by improving retinal ganglion cell survival. There are many obstacles in using stem cells in glaucoma as the regulation of differentiation, integration, host immune response, tumorigenesis and ethical concerns.