Scientists have improved the sight of two people who were almost blind by injecting their eyes with stem cells from embryos.
The two women, both registered as blind, saw their vision improve in a matter of weeks after being given the embryo-derived cells in the US safety trial.
The breakthrough holds out the hope of a cure in the future for age-related macular degeneration, which currently affects some 500,000 people in Britain.
The results, published this week in The Lancet, provide a major boost for the field of stem cell reseach.
Both the women in the US study arm suffer from forms of macular degeneration - worsening central vision - that are caused by retinal cells dying.
The first, in her 70s, suffers from dry age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the West. She went from being able to read 21 letters on a sight test chart to 28.
The second, in her 50s, suffers from Stargardt's disease, the most common form of macular degeneration in younger patients. She went from only being able to detect hand movements, to being able to see finger movements and better. Both received the stem cell treatment last July.
Read mere on The Lancet here |
