Stem cell therapy has been promoted as an effective way to treat a variety of conditions, and those promises have been gradually coming to fruition. Just recently doctors were able to restore the vision in people who suffered traumatic eye injuries from burns with caustic chemicals. The patients were able to once again see when they were transplanted with stem cells from their own bodies.

The treatment was effective in 82 of 107 patients and partially in 14 others, with benefits lasting up to 10 years. The study is the largest of its kind and offers hope to people who suffer damage to their eyes as a result of exposure to caustic cleansers and other compounds. It is important to note that the therapy does not address damage to the optic nerve or macular degeneration, which affects the retina. It would also not be effective in curing complete blindness because the treatment requires healthy eye tissue that can be transplanted.

The study in question, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved 106 patients who were being treated between 1998 and 2007. Most of them had extensive damage to one eye to the point where they could not see clearly and could only sense light or perceive motion. Many of them had suffered vision impairment or blindness for years and had treatments done without success.

Cells were taken from the region called the limbus, the clear window that covers the colored part of the eye. If both eyes were damages, cells were retrieved from uninjured areas of the limbus. Stem cells in this region are known to produce new cells to replace dead corneal cells, but if they themselves are injured, scar tissue forms, clouding vision and leading to blindness.

Doctors cultured the stem cells in the laboratory, increasing their numbers. They then placed them into the injured eye, whereby they were able to develop into corneal tissue and replace the cells that had been damaged. Since the cells are the patient’s own, there are no problems with tissue rejection.

Human stem cells have previously been used to treat blood diseases like leukemia, but using them to repair eye tissue is relatively new territory. Stem cell therapy in other areas, including heart disease and diabetes, have thus far not been as successful. Furthermore, because the cells come from the adult patient’s own body, it skirts the controversial debate over using embryonic stem cells, which requires the destruction of the embryo.

The current treatment for people with burn injuries to their eyes requires the use of an artificial cornea, which can lead to such problems as infection and glaucoma. Stem cells from cadavers are also used, but that entails medication to prevent transplant rejection and can come with its own set of side effects.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2,850 work-related chemical burns to the eyes in the U.S. in 2008. It is for this reason that it is extremely important to wear eye protection when working with any potential hazard to your vision.