{"id":1994,"date":"2026-10-20T08:55:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/eye-health\/retina-glaucoma\/stem-cells-macular-degeneration-optic-nerve-trials\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:59:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:59:51","slug":"stem-cells-macular-degeneration-optic-nerve-trials","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/en\/eye-health\/retina-glaucoma\/stem-cells-macular-degeneration-optic-nerve-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Stem Cell Therapy for Macular Degeneration and Optic Nerve Damage: Where the Trials Stand in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  4. Stem Cell Therapy for Macular Degeneration and Optic Nerve Damage: Where the Trials Stand in 2026<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t

    Stem Cell Therapy for Macular Degeneration and Optic Nerve Damage: Where the Trials Stand in 2026<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Stem cell therapy for macular degeneration is not an approved treatment in 2026. It is being tested in small early-phase trials that place lab-grown retinal cells under the retina; the surgery looks feasible, but vision benefit is unproven. For optic nerve damage and glaucoma the evidence is thinner still. Our retina surgeons, Do\u00e7. Dr. Muhammet Derda \u00d6zer (Associate Professor) and Op. Dr. Aysan Bayram, explain the proven options.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    Is there an approved stem cell therapy for macular degeneration?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t

    No. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) states that no stem cell products are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for eye disease, and that anyone who wants stem cell therapy should look for a clinical trial and discuss it with their ophthalmologist. The FDA’s own list of approved cell and gene therapies, updated on 17 September 2026, contains two eye products: Luxturna, a gene therapy for one inherited retinal disease, and Encelto, an implant of encapsulated cells that release a nerve-protecting protein, approved in March 2025 for macular telangiectasia type 2. Neither is a stem cell treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).<\/p>\n

    The NHS position is similar. It says there is currently no treatment for dry AMD, that research into new treatments is ongoing, and that your specialist can tell you about studies you could take part in.<\/p>\n

    “Stem cell” does not mean the same thing everywhere in eye care. One stem cell treatment for the eye is established: transplantation of limbal stem cells to rebuild a burned or damaged corneal surface. That is a cornea operation, not a retina treatment, and it has its own page (linked at the end of this guide). Everything below concerns the retina and the optic nerve, where stem cell treatment is still experimental.<\/p>

    Question<\/th>Answer in 2026<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Is any stem cell product approved for AMD?<\/th>No (AAO; FDA list of approved cell and gene therapies, 17 Sep 2026)<\/td><\/tr>
    Is it available outside a clinical trial?<\/th>Not as a proven treatment. A clinic offering it for a fee is offering something outside the evidence<\/td><\/tr>
    What is proven for wet AMD?<\/th>Anti-VEGF injections into the eye, and in some cases light treatment (NHS)<\/td><\/tr>
    What is available for dry AMD?<\/th>The NHS lists no treatment. In the US, two injected drugs for geographic atrophy were approved in 2023; the European Medicines Agency refused one of them in 2024<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/div>\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    How would stem cell therapy for macular degeneration work?<\/h2><\/div>

    The idea is to replace the cells that fail first in AMD. Under the macula sits a single layer of cells, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which feeds and cleans the light-sensing photoreceptors above it. In advanced dry AMD (geographic atrophy), RPE cells die in patches, the photoreceptors above them follow, and central vision is lost. If healthy RPE cells could be put back, researchers hope the remaining photoreceptors might survive and work.<\/p>\n

    Because the cells are delicate, the surgery is demanding. A retina surgeon makes a tiny opening in the retina and places the cells in the subretinal space<\/strong>, either as a liquid suspension or as a thin patch (a single layer of cells grown on an ultra-thin supporting membrane). The cells come from different sources:<\/p>\n