Scientists Partially Restored a Blind Man’s Sight With New Gene Therapy
Using a technique called optogenetics, researchers added light-sensitive proteins to the man’s retina, giving him a blurry view of objects.
In an experiment, a 58-year-old volunteer with a genetic form of blindness was able to identify the position of two cups.Credit.Sahel, et al.; Nature Medicine
May 24, 2021, 11:00 a.m. ET
A team of scientists announced Monday that they had partially restored the sight of a blind man by building light-catching proteins in one of his eyes. Their report, which appeared in the journal Nature Medicine, is the first published study to describe the successful use of this treatment.