Could stem cells be used to fix a astigmatism?!

Could stem cells be used to fix a astigmatism?

i was thinking like, the part of the eye that sends the image to the brain. if that muscle, or whatever it is, was weak or not working properly, would it be possible that stem cells might "fix" or improve it?

1 month ago
thanks mot d. i was mistaken by saying astigmatism. amyblopia is what i'm talking about. the doctor said it has to do with the part of your eye that sends the image to the brain. that part is damaged. eye movement or control,(the "lazy" part) isnt much a concern. i'm mostly concerned about the vision part. could stem cells regenerate that part and correct vision?

Sorry, but I don't think stem cells hold much promise in regard to fixing astigmatism. Let's talk about what astigmatism is.

Astigmatism means that your cornea (the very front part of your eye) is not spherically shaped (not shaped like a basketball where every part has the same curvature). Rather it is shaped more like a football (where the length of the football is less curved than the width). Having two different curvatures results in having two different images on the retina (back portion of the eye) that processes the light image.

Now, what is the theory behind all the buzz on embryonic stem cells. The hope is (and right now there is much more hope than cure unfortunately) that DISEASE can be repaired by implanting embryonic stem cells at the location of the damaged eye tissue so that these embryonic cells can differentiate and replace the damaged or diseased cells in the eye. Then these stem cells will begin functioning in place of the damaged or diseased cells and effect a cure.

Now, remember though, astigmatism is not related to damaged or diseased tissues. It is a hereditary anomaly associated with the SHAPE of the cornea. The cornea with astigmatism is actually a perfectly healthy cornea. It just happens to not be shaped spherically for good clear vision.

Scientists hope that embryonic stem cells will some day be able to help patients with Age Related Macular Degeneration, Optic Atrophy, Diabetic Retinopathy, etc. These are actually DISEASES of the eye. Hope this helped.