Whole-eye transplantation: Current challenges and future perspectives.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Immunology

Background:

• Whole-eye transplantation is a potential breakthrough for irreversible blindness.
• Significant obstacles hinder its clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically assess the current state of whole-eye transplantation.
• To identify challenges, advancements, and future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Review of current research on donor eye preservation techniques.
• Analysis of strategies for optic nerve regeneration and immunomodulation.
• Examination of ethical and legal considerations.

Main Results:

• Donor eye viability requires optimized surgical techniques for retinal and ganglion cell survival.
• Optic nerve regeneration faces central nervous system inhibitory factors, necessitating neurotrophic and immunomodulatory support.
• Achieving immunological tolerance is critical due to ocular tissue immunogenicity, requiring targeted immunosuppression.

Conclusions:

• Whole-eye transplantation requires interdisciplinary collaboration to overcome technical, biological, and ethical hurdles.
• Biomaterials, stem cell therapies, and precision immunomodulation are promising future avenues.
• Successful implementation could revolutionize ophthalmic care and restore vision for the blind.