Scientists from Laval University have found a possible cure for hereditary corneal dystrophy, which often leads to blindness. The research was published in the journal scientific reports.
People with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy experience progressive vision loss that can lead to blindness. This is the main reason for corneal transplantation, but the scarcity of grafts complicates the treatment. In people with this disease, the endothelial cells behind the cornea die faster than in healthy people. As cells die, the cornea becomes moist and cloudy, which can lead to complete blindness.
In a previous study, the authors showed that mitochondria are rapidly depleted in people with the condition, leading to cell death. Corneal endothelial dystrophy occurs in all people, but it is so slow that most do not have problems with it.
In the new study, the researchers used diseased endothelium removed during a corneal transplant. They managed to save near-death cells by injecting mitochondria. As a result, the death rate fell from 60% to 10%. Scientists believe that for patients in the early stages of Fuchs’ dystrophy, mitochondrial injection will be a much less invasive, harmless procedure than a corneal transplant.