The peripheral area of the adult mammalian retina, known as the ciliary body (CB) has been proposed as a niche of neural stem cells because, in vitro, cells from this area are able to form neurospheres, proliferate and differentiate. Here, we explore the potential of CB cells to differentiate and replace degenerated retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in vivo. CB cells isolated from adult retinas and intravitreally injected into the retina of mice that had been previously depleted of RGCs by optic nerve axotomy, integrate into the ganglion cell layer and express neuronal markers. A different type of neural stem cells derived from the subventricular zone of postnatal mice are also able to integrate into RGC depleted retinas but slowly than CB cells. These results shed light in the long-standing question of whether cells in the CB have the potential to transdifferentiate in vivo and point to the CB as a suitable source of cells that could be used in cell-replacement therapies for neurodegenerative diseases of the retina.