title: Corneal stem cells in the eye clinic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Corneal opacity is a common cause of blindness. The majority of cases result from ulceration and scarring following infection or trauma, but in a proportion corneal epithelial stem cell (SC) deficiency leads to an inability to maintain a healthy corneal surface.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review includes systematic reviews and individual case series of treatments for corneal epithelial SC deficiency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two techniques such as transplantation of large segments of cornea from a healthy eye and ex vivo expansion of corneal SCs in the laboratory were compared. Both have merits and their clinical outcomes are similar. The smaller biopsy in the cell expansion approach has less risk for the donor eye, which is a significant advantage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment algorithms for different aetiologies of SC failure are evolving. The proportion of true corneal epithelial SCs in ex vivo culture is unclear and it is unknown whether these cells survive long term.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, the optimum method of cell culture and transplantation is being intensively investigated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Development of tissues using multiple cell types, genetic modification to treat hereditary corneal disorders and development of cell therapy for other eye diseases are future possibilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ocular Biology and Therapeutics, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK. a.shortt@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Alex J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Shortt
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Tuft
authors.forename: Julie T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Daniels
mesh_terms: D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000637:transplantation; D006801:Humans; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000166:cytology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000637:transplantation; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*