Abstract
In Australia, the direct and associated costs of cataract and macular degeneration are currently estimated at over $3 billion annually. This figure is expected to double in the next 10 to 15 years. For the majority of macular degeneration patients there are no treatment options. While cataract can be effectively treated surgically, issues of secondary cataract and accommodation loss are incompletely resolved. Novel strategies are needed to provide new or improved therapies for these and other eye diseases or injury. Stem cells hold great potential for novel ocular therapies due to two defining features: their capacity to generate functional human cell types (via differentiation) for research or transplantation; and their ability to make copies of themselves (via cell division) while retaining the ability to differentiate.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Australian Optometry |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 |