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Light Therapy Restores Sight in Blind Patients
8 Oct
Summary
- Optogenetic therapy uses light to control nerve cells, a Nobel prize-winning science.
- Ten patients with retinitis pigmentosa showed improved light sensitivity.
- The therapy involves a single eye injection and light-stimulating goggles.
Optogenetic therapy, a groundbreaking treatment rooted in Nobel Prize-winning science, has demonstrated safety and partial vision restoration in blind patients. This gene therapy approach, which utilizes light to control nerve cells, was evaluated in a trial involving ten participants with advanced retinitis pigmentosa. This group of genetic disorders affects millions worldwide, causing a gradual loss of light-sensitive cells in the retina.
The therapy involves a single injection into the eye, delivering a harmless virus that makes surviving ganglion cells light-sensitive. Patients then use special goggles that convert images into light pulses, activating these cells and enabling them to perceive a monochrome image. This method is not dependent on the specific genetic cause of vision loss.
Results reported up to five years after treatment showed that six out of ten participants experienced clinically significant improvements in light sensitivity. Some also showed enhanced performance in tasks requiring object detection and navigation. The researchers aim to achieve high-resolution vision restoration within five to ten years, acknowledging that current capabilities allow for object detection but not face recognition.
