Research reveals how cornea responds to damage

The research was conducted by a team from the Centenary Institute, a Sydney-based independent medical research institute, and led by Dr Guy Lyons.It revealed that damaged cells in the centre of the cornea are shed into the tear fluid. New cells are then made at the edge of the cornea and later migrate to the centre to replace the shed cells.The research showed that the mechanism that drove this central migration was very simple and did not require interactions with any other cells in the eye.Dr Lyons said the findings could potentially assist in designing new treatments to repair eye damage that the body would otherwise be unable to heal. If we can understand what makes the healthy cells migrate and proliferate to replenish the damaged tissue, we might be able to design treatments to repair the damage, he explained. As a result of this study, we now have a better understanding of how some clinical eye conditions develop. This information will assist in the future prevention and treatment of these conditions. It will also assist with the development of replacent corneas engineered in the laboratory. Dr Lyons said the research team also found that very low levels of UV – described as similar to what would be experienced from spending a few hours outdoors in sunlight – were sufficient to damage the corneal cells.According to the Centenary Institute, corneal damage accounts for 5.7 million cases of serious visual impairment worldwide, including 2.8 million cases of blindness. In Australia alone, visual impairment that cannot be corrected by spectacles affects around 180,000 Australians.The findings of the study led by Dr Lyons was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. It was said the team would now be focusing on improving corneal transplants and recovery from injury and infections.