Which countries run stem-cell trials for Macular Degeneration & Vision?

Country distribution

A study with sites in several countries is counted once per country, taken from the location block of each registry record.

What the map means for Macular Degeneration & Vision

Serious registered work sits in a small number of ophthalmic surgical centres with imaging cores. This is one indication where regulators have publicly documented harm from clinics injecting adipose-derived cells into eyes, and that history should dominate any geographic comparison.

Where recruitment is actually open

What travelling for a trial actually involves

Travelling to a trial site is not like booking a treatment package. Sites enrol people they can follow up, which usually means repeated visits over months, local imaging or bloods, and an emergency route if something goes wrong. Ask about all three before booking anything.

Multi-country studies, named

Registered studies with sites in more than one country — the clearest evidence of collaboration rather than a single-centre series.

• NCT05147701 — Safety of Cultured Allogeneic Adult Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for NAION (Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina)
• NCT03011541 — Stem Cell Ophthalmology Treatment Study II (Austria, United Arab Emirates, United States)
• NCT02286089 — Safety and Efficacy Study of OpRegen for Treatment of Advanced Dry-Form Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Israel, United States)

Why trial geography is not a shortlist

Registration geography is a proxy for research infrastructure, not for outcomes. The relevant question about any destination is what oversight applies to the specific product you would receive there, which is a different enquiry entirely.

Before treating geography as a shortlist, read the legality overview by country and what "best country" actually means here.

When these studies started

Registrations by start year since 2020: 2020 (1), 2021 (1), 2022 (4), 2024 (2), 2025 (1). Activity for this condition spans 2009 to 2025, which shows whether interest is growing, flat or past its peak.

Frequently asked

Which countries run stem-cell trials for Macular Degeneration & Vision?

Sites are registered in 15 countries; the largest is United States (~49% of country mentions, 2026-08-29).

Does a country with many trials mean better treatment there?

It does not follow. A country can host many trials and still have an unregulated commercial sector selling something quite different to visitors.

Are trial sites and commercial clinics the same thing?

Mostly no. Some clinics imply an association with local research institutions; the registry record names the actual sponsor and site, which settles it.

Registry and literature counts retrieved 2026-08-29 (ClinicalTrials.gov API v2; PubMed E-utilities). Registration or publication volume measures research activity, not effectiveness or approval. Educational information — not medical advice; verify product, indication, legal pathway and evidence with an independent qualified physician. Page generated 2026-08-29. See our editorial standards.