Amniotic membrane use in ophthalmology.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this review is to describe the most recent and relevant clinical and experimental data about the use of amniotic membrane in ophthalmology.


RESULTS
The amniotic membrane is a biologic tissue that has been used as a graft for corneal and conjunctival reconstruction in a variety of ocular surface diseases. It is avascular and possesses anti-angiogenetic, anti-scarring and antiinflammatory properties. It is not a substitute but rather a substrate upon which cells can migrate and regenerate, forming new and healthy tissue. The amniotic membrane can also be used as a biologic patch, as a bandage, to treat acute inflammatory disorders. With the development of cell therapy, amniotic membrane can be also used as a carrier of limbal stem cells or their progeny, cultivated in vitro.


CONCLUSIONS
Amniotic membrane use in ophthalmic surgery has been shown to provide an alternative for corneal and conjunctival reconstruction in many clinically challenging situations; however, there is still a lack of scientific evidence based on randomized comparative studies to prove that its use is better than other alternative therapies for ocular surface reconstruction.
Gomes
José A P
JA
Advanced Ocular Surface Center, Brazil. japgomes@uol.com.br
Romano
André
A
Santos
Myrna S
MS
Dua
Harminder S
HS
D000650:Amnion / Q000637:transplantation*; D001684:Biological Dressings; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D003229:Conjunctival Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000637:transplantation; D006801:Humans; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000166:cytology; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology