Stem Cells Reverse Blindness

Stem cell transplants have helped dozens of people blinded by chemical burns to see again, Italian researchers say. Doctors used stem cells from undamaged parts of the patients' eyes to replace the damaged cornea. The procedure resulted in a successful transplant roughly 75% of the time. One man who badly damaged both his eyes 60 years ago now has near-normal vision after undergoing the procedure, the AP reports.

The procedure—which requires patients to have at least some healthy eye tissue remaining—is still experimental and is not being performed in the US. Earlier attempts at the same procedure achieved only short-lived results, but the Italian researchers say they managed to restore vision in patients for a decade or more. The study shows the vast promise regenerative stem cell treatment holds not just for blindness, but for damaged hearts, livers, and bladders, an ophthalmology professor tells WebMD.
(More stem cell research stories.)