Stem Cell Therapy Can Reverse Blindness in Women, Study Shows

A new study released today puts another check in the “win” column for stem cell research. The study baffled scientists by restoring sight in women who were steadily going blind.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am about this,” says Steven Schwartz, a UCLA opthamologist leading the research. “For these patients, the impact is enormous.”

“In the landmark paper by Schwartz and colleagues, the potential to use human embryonic derived cells with a therapeutic effect in patients is now finally realized,” wrote Anthony Atala of the Wake Forest Insitute of the Wake Forest School of Medicine in a commentary accompanying the report in the journal The Lancet.

For the study, scientists created retinal cells out of embryonic stem cells and then injected them into the eyes of two women. One was suffering from Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, and the other was slowly going blind from dry age-related macular degeneration.

“One day, I looked down and I could see my watch,” says one of the subjects. “I probably hadn’t seen it in about a year and a half or two.”

The other subject, a graphic artist in her fifties, says that she is now doing chores with much more ease, as well as adopting a new hobby – riding a bike. Though doctors reluctantly warn that results are preliminary, they’re still extraordinarily excited about the results of the study, specifically because the study’s sole purpose was find out whether the cell treatment would be safe, not necessarily effective. The study is only the second FDA-approved study since scientists discovered embryonic stem cells in 1998.

So, dear reader, is this stem cell study exciting news or are you, like many, still a bit reluctant to embrace the method?