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Treating blindness with gene therapy might be possible, says new study
Researchers at Oxford University are working towards a solution for blindness!
Blindness
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Blindness
is a condition where a person is totally sightless in both eyes. A
completely blind individual is unable to see anything at all. However,
the word is mostly used as a relative term to signify visual impairment
or low vision. A huge population suffers from vision impairment which
can range from mild to severe.
Researchers
at Oxford University are working towards a solution for blindness!
Their study has shown that gene therapy might help reverse blindness by
reprogramming cells to become more light sensitive. This will help cure
the most common cause of blindness in young people, which is Retinitis
Pigmentosa. In this condition, millions of light-sensitive photoreceptor
cells that line the retina are lost.
Currently, the study has been monitored for over a year in mice and was highly successful. They maintained vision during this time as they were able to recognise objects in their environment which indicated a high level of visual perception. The cells expressing melanopsin were able to respond to light and send visual signals to the brain.
Lead
author of the research Samantha de Silva, specialist registrar,
Ophthalmology and Clinical research training fellow at the University of
Oxford said, "There are many blind patients in our clinics and the
ability to give them some sight back with a relatively simple genetic
procedure is very exciting. Our next step will be to start a clinical
trial to assess this in patients."
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Currently, the study has been monitored for over a year in mice and was highly successful. They maintained vision during this time as they were able to recognise objects in their environment which indicated a high level of visual perception. The cells expressing melanopsin were able to respond to light and send visual signals to the brain.
Facts on blindness:
- Over 350 million people are visually impaired due to various causes
- More than 50 million of these people are totally blind, unable to see light in either eye
- Eighty per cent of blindness cases occurs in people over 50 years old
- Common causes of blindness include diabetes, macular degeneration, traumatic injuries, infections of the cornea or retina and glaucoma
- Less common causes of blindness includes vitamin A deficiency, retinopathy of prematurity, vascular disease involving the retina or optic nerve including stroke, ocular inflammatory disease, retinitis pigmentosa, primary or secondary malignancies of the eye, congenital abnormalities, hereditary diseases of the eye, and chemical poisoning from toxic agents such as methanol
- Majority of the cases of blindness in the world is preventable through a combination of education, access to good medical care, and provision of glasses.
To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail to education.intoday@gmail.com
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