Dec 22, 2009
Stem cells used to restore eyesight in 8 patients
Recommend British scientists have used stem cells to restored good vision to eight people who had lost sight in one eye, the Financial Times reports.
Stem cells were extracted from the cornea of a patient's good eye, cultured in a lab and then transplanted into the damaged eye, restoring the cornea. The technique is not suitable for blindness caused by retinal damage.
Russell Turnbull's right eye was burned and scarred when ammonia was thrown in his face 15 years ago, leaving him with 10% vision in the damaged eye. He said the operation has improved his eye sight to 90%.
"This has transformed my life," said Turnbull. "I'm working, I can go jet skiing and also ride horses."
The technique was developed at the North East England Stem Cell Institute, and the results are published in the journal Stem Cells.
(Posted by Michael Winter)
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