Gene therapy safety trial for childhood blindness under way
People ask me from time to time if it is possible to do eye transplants. Well, we are not even close, because the nerves that connect the eyes to the brain are very complicated. It is possible to do transplants of the cornea, the clear front part of the eye, but that is about it at this time.
But there is some exciting research going on at University of Florida, my alma mater, that in some ways is almost as good. Doctors there are using specialized gene therapy to attempt to give vision to people who have previously been blind due to a rare childhood condition called Leber congenital amaurosis. This type of therapy has already worked in dogs and is now being attempted in people. If successful, it could potentially lead the way for even more breakthroughs in helping people gain or re-gain vision.
You can read the whole story here.
Be Well!
Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
