Neonatal Eye Defects and Stem Cell TherapeuticsUpadhyay RK

Present review aims to describe various neonatal eye defects and its stem cell therapeutics. This article attempts to highlight common causes of visual impairment in infants and present the recent approaches used for restoration of normal vision in patients. The article highlights the need for setting microenvironment or stem cell micro niche for regeneration of opticneural complexes. Till date no proven drug based treatment existed for inherited eye defects. By adopting different therapeutic measures causal effects can be improved. The article advocates cell based therapeutics for wound healing of optical tissues for functional restoration using appropriate and suitable cell transplantations in animal models. In addition, possible solutions have been suggested to reduce the pain in newborns and infants from serious life-threatening visual complications or infection induced visual pathogenesis. This article emphasizes use of stem cell derived lens cells for human lens development and regeneration of corneal and retinal cells for increasing future therapeutic applications. As an alternative remedy exploring and designing new biomaterials to make matrix based nano-structure constructs for corneal repair and regeneration has been suggested. Bioengineered corneal devices are addressed with safe use of tissue-engineered hydrogels to allow regeneration of radiosensitivity in neural-visual cell complex. Present review presents new advancements in the field of biocompatible substrates, bio-matrix, transplantation methods and micro-niche maintaining factors for restoration, repairing and healing of visual-neuroepithelial complexes successfully.