Using stem cells, doctors restore 14-yr-old’s vision

At 65 per cent, the vision in Omkar Babhat’s right eye is increasing steadily after the stem cells were transferred from his healthy left eye

Babhat had accidentally sprayed glass-cleaning fluid into his eye while struggling to open the cap, which meant he could just see an occasional flash of light, and nothing more MUMBAI While the past four months have been painfully slow for 14-yearold Omkar Babhat, the increasing vision in his right eye, now a healthy 65 per cent, has been a growing relief for him and his parents, thanks to a novel method of surgery using stem cells from his left eye. In March last year, the Airoli resident had accidentally sprayed glass-cleaning fluid into his eye while struggling to open the cap, which had reduced his vision to seeing the occasional flash of light, and nothing more. After consulting several eye doctors, the Babhats realized that a complete corneal transplant was not possible in Omkar’s case as chemical burns had caused damage to his corneal limbus — the junction where the black and white portions of the eye meet. It was only when they approached corneal surgeon Dr Suresh Palanisamy in October 2013 that hope dawned for the family. Palanisamy suggested they go in for Simple Limbal Epithelial Transplantation (SLET) — a process wherein healthy stem cells are harvested from the corneal limbus of the undamaged eye and transplanted to the damaged cornea. “The patient had suffered ocular surface damage due to severe chemical burns. The cornea, which is normally clear, had turned opaque blocking the vision. There was also accumulation of scar tissue due to the burns,” explained Palanisamy, who operated on Omkar at the Fortis Hospital in Mulund . The two-hour-long procedure involved removing 2 mm of stem cell tissue from Omkar’s left eye. After that, the scar tissue accumulated in the right eye was carefully removed. “A layer of amniotic membrane was then stuck onto the damaged cornea using a special glue. The stem cell tissue obtained from the healthy eye was then cut in 10 tiny bits, that were spread on the amniotic membrane and affixed with the same biological glue,” said Palanisamy. He added, “The amniotic membrane (the sac in which a foetus develops) promotes stem cell multiplication and dissolves gradually. As the healthy stem cells multiply, the opaque cornea started clearing up and Omkar began regaining his vision. It will get better over the next three months.” Remembering the horror and frustration of the initial days after the accident, Omkar’s father Shivaji said, “We immediately splashed water into the eye and consulted an ophthalmologist who prescribed medicines and eye drops, but the condition of his eye only worsened with time, and led to a complete loss of vision. He could only see lights flashing. Now, he can see everything and even read.” WHAT IS SLET? Simple Limbal Epithelial Transplantation (SLET) is a procedure wherein limbal stem cells from the undamaged eye are transplanted to the damaged one to restore its vision. About five years ago, the process of multiplying the limbal stem cells was carried out in a petri dish. In 2012, doctors from the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad were the first to carry out the procedure directly on the damaged eye.