News Genetics

A gene-based therapy partially restored a blind man’s vision

Light-activated proteins inserted in eye nerve cells and special goggles help him see objects

A side view of a man wearing an EEG cap and dark goggles

A type of gene therapy and special goggles helped a blind man see some objects again. An electroencephalogram cap (red) on the man’s head showed that signals from his treated eye reached the brain’s visual center.

StreetLab/Institut de la Vision, J.-A. Sahel et al/Nature Medicine 2021

By Tina Hesman Saey

- More than 2 years ago

A new type of gene therapy that rewires nerve cells in the eye has given a blind man some limited vision.