By IANS
London : Good news for millions of elderly people who go blind. British scientists have developed a technique to restore eyesight by using embryonic stem cells.
As a person gets older, cells in the retina of his or her eyes fail to function. This disorder is known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the main cause of blindness in elderly people.
The scientists from the University College of London, the Moorfields Eye Hospital and the Sheffield University said that the new technique has already been used to restore sight in rats, the online edition of the Daily Mail reported.
The breakthrough involves embryonic stem cells or “blank” cells with the power to turn into different cell types. They would be used to create small patches of retinal pigment epithelial cells, the scientists said.
These are the cells damaged by age-related macular degeneration. The patches would be injected into the back of the eye to replace the damaged cells, and within two to three weeks, vision will be restored, they claimed.
It may not be able to restore the vision completely but the improvement is likely to allow patients to regain the ability to carry out daily tasks such as reading a newspaper or driving, the scientists said.
Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are the cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo. Researchers believe that those cells might be used to cure many diseases.