Can Stem Cells be Used to Treat Optic Nerve Damage?

Thanks ari for advice.. As I see u replied in many of responses to volunteer in research at reputable center, do you know any center in india or anything in andhra pradesh that is looking for volunteers..

My father had an accident in last oct.. He had multiple factures on his face and his right eye was damaged.. Doctors concluded that his right eye has lost vision due to optical nerve damage and there is no way he can regain vision.. After doing little research, I came to conclusion that it is indeed true.. But there are research going on to cure this.. Can someone suggest me good site or research centre that are trying to find the solution.. I would like to say in touch with them in hope that soultion will be found soon..

as i have stated many times, stem cell therapy is very promising, but is years away from being used widely, and any “cures” have to be viewed skeptically until the data is published in respected, peer-reviewed literature. everybody knows that legitimate scientists/doctors who engage in breakthrough treatments publish their data in respected, peer-reviewed literature. for example, there is company that sells a drop that reverses cataract, and has many testimonials from patients how their vision has been restored. gee- you would think that the reversal of cataract by a drop, the world’s leading cause of blindness in world, would be front page news and be discussed at every ophthalmology conference. but it’s not. why? because the makers of this drop have not, and have no intention of, submiting their data to a peer-reviewed journal. so anybody with common sense knows it’s a bunch of snake oil.

I read and still wonders if the article I read below is true:………….

USA DOCTORS: “You are irreversibly blind with no chance of recovering your vision.”
INDIA DOCTORS: “Come home and try our stem cells.”
PATIENT: “I CAN READ. I am sure “they” will be surprised.”

CHENNAI: In February, Shailesh (name changed), a 22-year-old medical student in the US lost his eyesight after swallowing methanol, a toxic alcohol. Doctors there told him that blindness was irreversible. After stem cell therapy in India, Shailesh will soon fly back to the US to literally see his doctors.

He is today able to read and recognise colours. Once back in the US, doctors there would monitor his progress. “I am sure they are going to be surprised,” he said. In his medical reports, doctors had said that he had no chances of regaining vision with or without treatment as his optic nerve had suffered irreversible damage.

Stem cell therapy is still part of clinical trials for ocular diseases in the US, but is not yet recommended as a treatment. In India, therapeutic experiments are less restrictive.

On February 24, Shailesh came to Chennai for treatment. He met stem cell therapist Dr Himanshu Basnal of the Institute of Spinal Injury and Stem Cell Research, Rudrapur and Laksha Hospital in Chennai. The Indian Council of Medical Research has allowed some hospitals to go ahead with stem cell research.

Doctors injected 120 ml of stem cells near the patient’s optic nerve. These cells were drawn from his bone marrow. Stem cells have the ability to grow into specialized cells. After the first shot, Shailesh showed improvement, and procedure was repeated. “These stem cells have managed to regenerate the cells in the optic nerve. He is able to read with glasses now,” said Dr Basnal, who will soon present the case for peer review in a medical journal.

Senior opthalmologists in the city said if proven, the therapy would be a boon for patients who suffer optic nerve damage due to trauma or diabetes. “But, before being adopted as a therapy, a clinical trial on larger groups of patients should be done,” said a senior opthalmologist.

My 6-years-old doughter was diagnosed with glioma optic nerve on her right eye in Nov 2008.
We follow up by MRI annually and leave her without any treatment by doctors opinion.

There is also mild posterior extension of this mass in the post contrast images in to the Rt.optic canal.this posterior extension is about 6mm in the last study.Distance of this posterior margin of the mass to the optic chiasma is 23 mm.
I would like to know if any treatment for her.

My goodness. I’m going through something very similar and also am in St. Louis, MO. On 7/23/10 I was struck in my left eye and received much damage to my optic nerve. I am being treated at the Center for Advanced Medicine at Barnes by Wash U surgeons. My vision is awful and I have double vision. I too was researching stem cells to help me restore vision. God be with you and I hope you find something to help your sight. Stacey

can stem cell therapy help repair optic nerve damage from neuritis?

this is a common question here at eyedocnews.
unfortunately, there is, to my knowledge, no proven stem cell treatment available for any optic nerve or retina disease. i advise that you go to a world-class eye institution and volunteer to participate in approved clinical trials. do not pay for any treatment- many places now are taking $10,000 from people for stem cell treatments that are 100% worthless.

i disagree strongly with this kind of reasoning. it is simply not scientific. if you ask enough people, you will find someone who will say that a certain treatment helped. many people take zinc for a cold and swear it helps. yet every scientific study shows it has no benefit. the “placebo effect” is just too strong. when someone is ill, and they spend $10,000 on a treatment, and the doctor ressures them that it went very well, the patient will actually improve. but that doesn’t mean it works.

stem cells cannot help you. sorry. you will simply be $10,000 poorer. that’s the brutal truth. consider volunteering in research at a reputable eye center.