Corneal regeneration: How can we make further progress in corneal surgery with advanced therapies to avoid corneal substitution: ESCRS Binkhorst Medal Lecture 2023.

Corneal blindness affects millions globally and is one of the top 5 most common causes of blindness worldwide. Modern corneal transplantation techniques have made important progress in short-term and long-term outcomes, together with improvements in corneal banking, but there remains a high frequency of anatomical and functional failures. Corneal regeneration techniques offer significant advantages because they do not depend on donor tissue, may offer a better biological approach, and are free from complications related to allograft transplantation in humans. Our aim is to provide a perspective on the progress and improvements that have been made during recent years in corneal regeneration involving the ocular surface, corneal stroma, and corneal endothelium. Notably, the use of mesenchymal-derived stem cells from different origins, particularly from adipose tissue, has opened a new perspective in the treatment of corneal and ocular surface disorders.