Limbal epithelial progenitors are stem cells located in limbal palisades of vogt. In this review, we present the audience with recent evidence that limbal epithelial progenitors may be a powerful stem cell resource for the cure of human corneal stem cell deficiency. Further understanding of their mechanism may shed lights to the future successful application of stem cell therapy not only to the...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The ocular surface is an ideal region to study the epithelial stem cell (SC) biology because of the unique spatial arrangement of stem cells and transient amplifying cells. A major challenge in corneal SC biology is the ability to identify SC in vitro and in situ, and one of the major controversies in the field relates to reliable SC markers. This study was carried out t...

The human cornea requires a smooth, transparent, robust and renewable surface to maintain its key optical and protective functions. The corneal epithelium is maintained by a local population of “stem cells”, which although not truly pluripotent, are capable of self-regeneration by asymmetric division. These cells are located at the limbus the region where the conjunctiva-covered sclera meets th...

Chemical injuries of the eye may produce extensive damage to the ocular surface epithelium, cornea, and anterior segment, resulting in permanent unilateral or bilateral visual impairment. Pathophysiological events which may influence the final visual prognosis and which are amenable to therapeutic modulation include 1) ocular surface injury, repair, and differentiation, 2) corneal stromal matri...

PURPOSE Simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET) and cultivated limbal epithelial transplantation (CLET) are proven clinical techniques for treating limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). However, the ideal size and number of the limbal explants required for transplantation has not been clearly elucidated. This in vitro study aimed to determine the optimal limbal explant size required for c...

purpose: to investigate the efficacy of limbal-conjunctival autografting technique in patients with primary pterygium methods: fifteen eyes of 15 patients with primary pterygium underwent surgery for the removal of pterygium with limbal-conjunctival autograft. after the pterygium excision, the limbal portion of the graft was oriented and sutured to the limbus at the recipient bed with the epith...

Ocular surface or epibulbar dermoid lesions may present as limbal dermoids at the corneal limbus or dermolipomas in the conjunctival fornix. The purpose of this study is to review clinical features of ocular surface dermoids (grade I), with the visual axis unaffected, in pediatric patients, in order to find key features for making clinical decision, either resection or observation. The study in...

PURPOSE To investigate the potential of a pigment epithelial-derived factor (PEDF) peptide 44-mer to promote limbal regeneration in a rabbit partial limbal deficiency model. METHODS Limbal excision (180°) was created surgically, and topical application of 44-mer-containing ointment once a day for 2 weeks was started immediately after injury. Limbal barrier function was inspected at 2 and 6 mo...

Severe ocular surface disease can result in limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), a condition leading to decreased visual acuity, photophobia, and ocular pain. To restore the ocular surface in advanced stem cell deficient corneas, an autologous or allogenic limbal stem cell transplantation is performed. In recent years, the risk of secondary LSCD due to removal of large limbal grafts has been sig...