Research progress of stem cells in corneal wound healing

As the outermost part, cornea plays a critical role in protecting the eyeball and functions as main component of the dioptric media.Trauma, inflammation, malnutrition, inherited diseases, tumors, contact lens problems and complications of refractive surgeries may cause corneal injury.However, there are still no perfect treatments for severe corneal damage.Progresses have been made in the research field of corneal stem cells in recent years.Epithelial stem cells play an important role in corneal wound healing, whereas the contribution of stromal and endothelial stem cells is less studied.Moreover, corneal cells differentiated from alternative cell sources have a brilliant prospect in transplantation.This article reviewed the recent research progress of stem cells in the corneal epithelial, stromal and endothelial wound healing.