International Patient Enquiries |
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Stem Cell Transplant for Ocular Surface Diseases
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 The ocular surface comprises the corneal epithelium and the conjunctival epithelium covering the cornea and front surface of the eye. Ocular Surface Diseases (OSD) are the result of injuries to or cell deficiency of the corneal epithelium and conjunctival epithelium, causing blindness. Direct causes include chemical and thermal burns, trachoma and Stevens Johnson syndrome.
Previously, treating OSD with conventional corneal transplants was not very successful because the Limbal Stem Cells (source of healthy corneal epithelium) and Conjunctival Stem Cells were not being transplanted at the same time.
Thanks to pioneering methods and new surgical techniques, transplanting both Limbal and Conjunctival Stem Cells is now part of the procedure, contributing to the success of the corneal transplant in cases of OSD. To prevent rejection, patient's own limbal and conjunctival stem cells are cultured in SNEC's own SERI Stem Cell Laboratory and these cells are retransplanted back into the patient's own eye after 2 weeks. With this method, transplant rejection is avoided and success rates are far higher than using stem cells from other donors. |
Our treatment centre
Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) |
The SNEC Advantage
Leading International Centre
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| SNEC is one of only a handful of eye centres in the world offering cultured limbal stem cell transplants, and is the leading centre in the world culturing and transplanting conjunctival stem cells. Cultured limbal and conjunctival stem cell transplants are used to treat patients blinded by ocular surface diseases with damaged or deficient stem cells. These patients range from those suffering from chemical injuries to cancer to blindness due to generalised stem cell deficiency. |
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World’s First
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| In October 2001, SNEC surgeons performed the first Cultured Conjunctival Stem Cell Transplant in a patient suffering from a common local conjunctival disorder known as pterygium. This surgery was believed to be the first of its kind in the world, as no one else was growing conjunctiva at that time. |
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High Success Rate
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| Since then, within a rigorous and ethically approved clinical trial, a total of 22 patients with pterygium have received cultured stem cell transplants. In all cases, these transplants have been successful in resurfacing the eye after excision of the pterygium. We have since successfully performed autologous cultured conjunctival stem cell transplants in several other patients with a variety of other forms of ocular surface disorders such as ocular surface tumors and chemical burns. |
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Cutting-edge Treatment
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| This is a new technique of growing one’s own stem cells (obtained from the fellow normal eye), which can be damaged by conditions such as chemical injuries, severe contact lens overwear and Steven’s Johnson Syndrome (a severe allergic disorder affecting the eye). A small amount of tissue is taken from the healthy fellow eye, grown in the laboratory for 2-3 weeks and transplanted onto the damaged surface of the diseased eye. |
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Other Ophthalmology Procedures
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Call our 24-hr hotline:
+65 6326 5656 |
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