stem cell therapy has been applied for the treatment of degenerative diseases encompassing corneal disorders.this consideration is regarding the unique characteristics of stem cells including self-renewal and pluripotency. some corneal diseases result from deficiencies in the limbal region. in these conditions, limbal stem cell therapy is considered in which limbal stem cells are cultured in vi...

Severe damage to cell repair mechanisms of the limbal region can lead to many disorders such as vascularized conjunctivalization, keratinization, corneal scarring, and corneal opacification, collectively described as limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). Limbal stem cell deficiency may occur as a result of depletion of stem cells or destruction of their stromal niche. In such cases, apart from co...

PURPOSE To isolate progenitor cells from rabbit corneal epithelial cells (CEC) in serum- and feeder layer-free culture conditions and to compare the self-renewal capacity of corneal epithelial progenitor cells obtained from the central and limbal regions of the cornea. METHODS Tissue samples of New Zealand white rabbit corneas were dissected from the limbal and central regions to obtain CEC f...

BACKGROUND The tumor suppressor gene p53 is expressed without apoptosis in the limbal basal stem cells of all pterygia and limbal tumors and most pingueculae from which these growths seem to originate. Oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been found in pterygia and limbal tumors, and HPV and p53 overexpression commonly coexist in oropharyngeal and penile carcinomas. OBJECTIVE To searc...

purpose: to report the result of limbal autografting in primary and recurrent pterygium. methods: in this case series, all patients who were referred to our clinic at farabi hospital, isfahan, iran for treatment of pterygium were included. indications of surgery included chronic ocular irritation, impaired or threatened vision, ocular motility problem and cosmetic reasons. under subconjunctiona...

AIMS To evaluate the efficacy of Fourier domain-optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) in imaging and quantifying the limbal palisades of Vogt and to correlate these images with histological findings. METHODS The superior and inferior limbal region of both eyes of 50 healthy volunteers were imaged by FD-OCT. Images were processed and analysed using Matlab software. In vitro immunofluorescent s...

The limbal ring of the eye appears as a dark annulus where the iris meets the sclera. Both width and opacity of the limbal ring are influenced by iris pigmentation and optical properties of the region. With age the limbal ring becomes less prominent, making it a probabilistic indicator of youth and health. This raises the question: Are judgments of facial attractiveness sensitive to this signal...

Introduction To evaluate the expression patterns of cytokeratin (K) 12, 13, and 19 in normal epithelium of the human ocular surface to determine whether K13 could be used as a marker for conjunctival epithelium. Methods: Total RNA was isolated from the human conjunctiva and central cornea. Those transcripts that had threefolds or higher expression levels in the conjunctiva than the cornea wer...

Background  To report normal variations of the limbal structures using in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy. Methods: This was a retrospective study of fourteen eyes from 11 healthy individuals. Confocal imaging of cornea and limbus was performed using Heidelberg Retina Tomograph III Rostock Corneal Module. Results: The typical structure of the palisades of Vogt (POV) was detected ...