What is a retina transplant?
Tissue sensitive to light located on the inner surface of the eye is essential for sharp central vision. Many disorders - some degenerative - can affect retina. In cases where visual sharpness has been seriously damaged and no other therapeutic interventions are available, an attempt to transplant retina may be in an effort to improve vision.
In order to achieve visual perception, the pictures that are visible to the eye lenses are focused on retina, which then convert images into electrical impulses and transfer them to the brain with an optical nerve. Healthy retinal tissue is usually red due to the amount of blood vessels that give it nutrients. The ophthalmologist can easily explore the retina during the routine eye test. Changes in the color of retina tissue may indicate illness. Many diseases can damage the retina, including pigmentosa retinitis and macular degeneration.
The retinal tissue transplant is an experimental procedure used only when all other treatment options have been exhausted,And in cases where there is extensive tissue damage and complete loss of vision. There are two types of transplantation options, the entire retinal and stem cell transplantation. Stem cell transplantation has proven to be unsuccessful because the cells appear to differentiate on retinal cells, which is the process needed for visual improvement. Clinical studies involving a small piece of whole retinal tissue have proven to be slightly successful, with a large percentage of patients suffering from a certain degree of visual improvement. Transplanted cells are expected to eventually replace the patient's damaged cells.
There are a number of concerns about retinal transplantation because tissue used in clinical trials usually comes from aborted fruits. Approval to replicate technology on a larger scale by fetal tissue may be an ethical problem. Medical studies suggest that transplanted retina can release growth factors into the eye of the recipient, which can help their retinal cells recoveryAvstate from damage. It is therefore unclear whether the entire retinal tissue transplant is necessary for visual improvement. Improvement of visual acuity is usually reversed one to two years after the retinal transplantation, although in isolated cases lasted up to six years after treatment.
It seems that no immunosuppressive drugs are required after retinal transplantation, and according to medical studies, there were no cases of rejection of transplanted tissue. The procedure is experimental. To determine the method of retinal transplantation, more research is needed that is safest and offers the best sustainable improvement of visual acuity.