骨髓幹細胞可望治療青光眼
青光眼指的是由於眼球內壓力過高所導致的數種疾病總稱。正常的眼睛會持續產生並且排除水樣液(aqueous humor)。但在青光眼病患，其水樣液不停的蓄積，使得眼壓上升對視神經造成直接的傷害，最終可能導致永久性的失明。它是全球成年人的主要致盲眼疾。
目前臨床上治療青光眼是利用藥物或手術方是來減低眼壓，但不是每個人都能成功。利用動物實驗，英國科學家抽取健康的骨髓幹細胞，打入受損的眼睛，發現幹細胞可以減緩視神經的傷害，避免青光眼的發生。
未來科學家希望幹細胞能直接修補受損的視神經，恢復青光眼的視力，更希望能直接進行人體試驗，根除疾病。
Stem cells could cure 'silent thief of sight'
In a first, medical experts have reported a major scientific breakthrough wherein stem cells could be used in the battle to cure blindness in humans.
Using animals in lab tests, they grafted stem cell tissues taken from bone marrow on to damaged nerves in the eye. When the healthy cells are in place the eye begins to repair itself suggesting the technique could be used in the fight to cure blindness.
Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in the developed world and is dubbed "the silent thief of sight" because of the insidious manner in which many patients have already suffered significant visual loss before they are diagnosed.
Current treatment can only slow progression of the disease by reducing eye pressure medically or surgically but even this doesn't succeed for some patients.
"Glaucoma remains a leading cause of blindness worldwide and there is currently no way to restore vision once it has been lost. Fight for Sight funding is helping us explore the possibility that stem cell treatments could one day be used to treat glaucoma," the Scotsman quoted Professor Keith Martin, a neuroscientist at Cambridge University, as saying.
"Initially, we are looking at how stem cells can protect the eye against glaucoma damage when other treatment has failed.
"We have recently had some very encouraging results in animals with glaucoma which shows that stem cells can protect against glaucoma damage.
"In the future, our dream is to be able to use stem cell treatments to improve vision in patients severe glaucoma. However, it will be a few more years until these treatments are ready for human clinical trials." (ANI)