Nightline, miracle of sight, continues. Here now, bob other than the sun, ive never seen a star, like ever. Reporter imagine a World Without starlight. Ive been told all my life, my visions going to go. Its happening. And i get really scared. Reporter a World Without detail. I couldnt really see the, um, castle, because it was so dark. I immediately thought that something was wrong with her eyes. Knowing that both my husband and i gave her a mutated gene. Reporter tonight, two incredible journeys. Please fix my eyes. Amen. Reporter one revolutionary new drug. This was an eureka moment. Just knock your socks off. Reporter and a race against time to stop the world from going dark. If i had the chance to save her vision, sign me up. I cant believe its finally happening. Happy birthday to you reporter 6yearold monroe lee dreams like many other little girls, in visions of pink and princesses. Plblow it out. Reporter but monroe isnt like most little girls because her dreams just dont match her reality. I couldnt really see in the dark. Reporter did she explain this to her friends . Monroe cant see in the dark. Reporter she suffers from a rare genetic disease which means shell eventually go blind, for a child who loves horse racing. He won, he won reporter and disney, everything disney, that means never experiencing the glowing wonder of cinderellas castle at night. I couldnt really see the um, castle, because it was so dark. Hi, pretty girl. Reporter monroes mom says she noticed immediately that something was wrong when monroe was just a baby. Hi. Reporter and it got worse. Monroe kept missing key milestones. At 18 months, shes still not walking. Still not walking. She did this little scoot jump like crawl. She would scoot jump into walls. Reporter it wasnt until she was 3 years old that they learned her diagnosis, a genetic mutation inherited from her parents. Only about 2,000 people in the whole country have it. It was scary. It was scary. I mean, knowing husband and i gave her a mutated gene. Reporter this is an extremely rare condition. We both blamed ourselves for a long time. Reporter while her family has given her the best childhood possible, they know time is precious. If monroe wanted to do it, we did it, because tomorrow wasnt promised. I didnt know if id wake up one day and she wont be able to see at all. Look at mama. She cant see very well. Reporter just 30 miles away, college rower heather is going through the same thing. People always tell me they cant tell im blind. And i think that comes down to me being used too it all my life and not letting it stop me from anything. Reporter for the 25yearold, life is one big blur. As a child, she was diagnosed with the same genetic disease monroe has. Congenital amoreosis is the name of it. I try not to think about it. Reporter the main issue with lca is light sensitivity. Heather cant see anything at night, a tough thing for someone who wants to be an astro physicist and study the stars. You have no idea what they look like. Ive only seen them in pictures. Reporter even on the brightest day, heather sees just a fraction of what other people do, using her guide dog luna, to get around. I can see most of the trees like where theyre at, kind of as blobs. Things that are tall. And i can tell them different than the buildings. Reporter shadows and shade are a constant enemy. I ive tripped a few times an had a mini heart attack when you trip going downstairs. When she walks in, theres been times i didnt know it was her. So i might make a little comment to get her to say something. You didnt know that. Did you . No, i never noticed that. When she was smiling i could tell. I could see the white of the teeth. I see where her eyes are, but i cant see her eyes. Reporter heather uses a variety of tools, high tech. I have to invert for writing. Reporter and low tech. My feltcontinue marker. My recipes on my ipad so i can see it good. Reporter but her biggest helper is fiance christian. I dont know if ive ever seen his eye color. Ive tried to look at him super close in the sun. Ive never been able to see a blemish or anything on his face. She always looks for the best in things. I want to be with her, you know, knowing shes like that. Im scared to not be able to see christians face or our future childrens faces. Ive wanted to be a mother all my life. So i want to be able to at least see their faces. Reporter she was giving up hope when suddenly, she got a call. How did you get the word . I was asleep one morning, and my dad called me. Are you awake . Like, theres this thing on tv, a cure for the blind, check it out. I think its your disease. Reporter it started in this medical lab in philadelphia, with a groundbreaking new drug. For almost as long as theyve been married, doctors jean bennett, a gene therapy researcher and albert mcguire, an eye surgeon have been searching for a cure to genetic blindness. At that point in time, the technology did not exist. Reporter if were you older and more experienced than this, would you have realized this was almost impossible. Yeah, it was a good thing not knowing, because it would be daunting like this is ridiculous. Reporter eventually, technology caught up. Dr. Bennett figured out a way to replace the gene that cause people like heather and monroe to go blind. Rpe65. And dr. Mcguire figured out how to inject the replacement into the patients eye. The treatment now called luxturna, the firstever gene therapy approved by the fda. Then the next question was, wow, wouldnt it be amazing if we could make blind children see . Reporter heather and monroe quickly signed up and landed at Childrens Hospital los angeles. Dr. Aaron miguel will handle both surgeries. It is changing the course of the disease in a way we never have seen before. Never thought possible. Reporter how both oop ratio operations are the same, results are different. Monroe may have more stable improvements over the long time compared to heather because of her age may have lost more tissue. Reporter making the desis to risk what eyesight they have left is a big deal. Enter christian gardeno. Well i had you reporter millions fell in love with him on season 12 of americas got talent, where he earned the coveted golden buzzer. When he was 12, christian was chosen for dr. Bennett and dr. Mcguires clinical trial. Was this a tough call . No. Reporter whats the very first thing that you saw . I think it was my parents, my, my parents aface in detail. That was pretty incredible. Reporter before surgery, doctors recorded christian trying to navigate a maze. You can see he has trouble staying in line. Missing steps and running into barriers. After treatment, christian saw things hed never seen before, maneuvering around the obstacles, flawlessly. Massive, massive improvement, yeah. Id take anything of what i have now over what i had before. Reporter after months of waiting, its heathers chance to gain something shes always wanted. My hopes that im afraid too admit, to see a star and to be able to see christians face, actually see his eye color. I have an appointment at the vision center. Reporter it will take two operations, a week apart, one for each eye. Her left eye is up first. Heathers dad and step mom arrive. I put a little mark above your left eye. Its still hard. Look at you. My vision doesnt define who i am. But its kind of made me who i am. I dont know how to not be the blind girl. Are you calm . Im shaking. Reporter the operation itself will last about an hour. The luxturn a goes underneath the retina. We use a fine needle to deliver a small amount under the retina. Theres no room for error. Reporter dr. Miguel threads that delicate needle and her father and fiance wait. I love you, baby. Reporter for monroe, the surgery could be a chance at a normal childhood. She was afraid. She didnt know what to expect. But i do know that she was scared. Just to see my baby being wheeled back, praying that im making the right decision. Praying that the end result is going to be what we hope it will be. Reporter post surgery, they both have to wear a protective eye patch for 24 hours, and then that first moment of truth. When she took that patch off of her eye, what did she see . Nothing. Reporter i mean, black . Yeah, it was black. She kept saying i couldnt see, i cant see. Were going to check your vision. Im scared to open it. Do you see my hand moving here . Reporter stay with us. A wor . Scrub less with dawn ultra. Its superior greasecleaning formula gets to work faster. Making easy work of tough messes. Dawn is a goto greasecleaner throughout the kitchen, too. 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Me back nightline, miracle of sight, continues. Here again, bob woodruff. Reporter heather is scared. Over the course of the next few days, her life is going to change forever. For better or for worse. It was the longest night ever. Reporter the 25yearold is recovering from surgery, to see if the firstever approved live gene therapy can restore her eyesight. Were going to check your vision. I was really nervous when we took the patch off that day. Can you move your eye again for me. It was really scary. And when i couldnt see the nurses hand going back and forth, i kind of panicked. Do you see my hand moving here . No. Not really. Did i really try to fix my eyes and make them worse now . Hey, heather. Hello. Is this backfiring . Let me have a look. Very blurry. Very blurry. All right. Look straight. Up and left. Excellent. Looks perfect. All the medicines absorbed, okay. You do have an air bubble. And thats what causes the blurriness . Yes. Thats why its sao blurro blur. Reporter dr. Nigel isnt alarmed. He says the day after surgery is always rough. But, by the end of that first week, she was reconsidering whether to have the second operation at all. To fix her other eye. I still cant see the same as before surgery, like my vision is still worse. Reporter but she decided it was worth the risk. Heather, this is dr. Nigel. I know youre just waking up. Everything looks so perfect, okay . Just like the other eye. Well let you relax a little, all right . And ill see you tomorrow morning. Okay. Great. Reporter nearly all the major improvements will happen in the first month after both surgeries. He likes it reporter and monroes progress has been incredible. I can see in the dark what, baby . I can see in the dark reporter so after surgery, i imagine its pretty shocking . Shes a whole new girl. One, two, three. Reporter born again . Born again. Five. Reporter does she realize this . Oh, 100 . What do you see . Cars in the dark reporter the treatment opening up a whole new world for the little girl, a world shed never seen before. Where do you want to go . Okay, show me the way, babe. Which one is your favorite princess . Belle. Come on. Reporter in fact, on this day, monroe has gone to transform into a princess. [ applause ] wonders never cease for the 6yearold fan. Princesses have never been on this ride. This is different. Those have always been the same, honey, you just couldnt see them before. Everything was worth it. My baby could see. Reporter every minute, every dollar . Everything. Reporter all worth it. 100 . Reporter almost two months after surgery, heather was still struggling to really see the impacts. The Recovery Process is much harder for me than i expected. My light sensitivity, especially at night, which i got really excited about. Reporter what can you see right now . We decided to test out heathers eyes in the dark. One of her dreams was to walk on the beach at night. Can you turn off the light completely . Just give my eyes a second. Let them adjust a little. I see that light, it looks like its glowing almost, like theres a reflection maybe on the bottom . Whats over this way . Im not sure if thats something. Reporter those are just two white lines there of the waves. Holy moly, i see those a lot, like two lines right there. Reporter you can . I cant believe it. I see the glare, is that the moon . Reporter yes. I saw the glare from the moon this is crazy. I hear the water coming. Reporter can you see it. I do. Its like right there. I do see that. And theres a little second one coming. Reporter yes, exactly. Thats awesome is one of your dreams to see the stars . Oh, yes, definitely. Its always been a dream of mine. Kind of waiting, because im afraid i wont be able to. Reporter now she will get that chance. So i set up two telescopes. Reporter thanks to john isaacs, who set up some telescopes in his back yard for us. John decides to start with the moon. If heather cannot see something that large through the scope, she will never be able sar. The lights are not helping. Reporter now the real moment of truth. John repositions to look at sirius, the brightest star in the sky. If you have 20 20 vision, you clearly see the star here in our video, with the naked eye. For heather, her only hope is through this telescope, after 25 year of waiting. So are you seeing it yet . A gray spot, oh, i see it you do . Are you okay . Yeah. I see it. I cant even talk. It doesnt seem real, like i cant believe im seeing a star for the first time ever. Oh, my god. Its amazing. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Reporter well be right back. thud crash grunting whistle play it cool and escape heartburn fast with tums chewy bites cooling sensation. Tum tututum tums iclimate is the number 1ove cpriority. Sage. On. I would declare a state of emergency on day 1. Congress has never passed an important climate bill, ever. 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Your doctor should do a pregnancy test before starting dovato. Use effective Birth Control while taking dovato. The most common side effects are headache, diarrhea, nausea, trouble sleeping, and tiredness. So much goes into who i am and hope to be. Ask your doctor if starting hiv treatment with dovato is right for you. What game are you guys playing . Princesses. Do you love to hulah mama, i did this is monroe. Hi. Can i have a hug . Thank you for meeting me. Kerrygold has a taste so rich it can take you to irelands lush, green pastures. Where grassfed cows produce rich, creamy milk for a truly delicious taste. Kerrygold. The taste that takes you there