Alcoholism drug may help restore eyesight
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in adults, and scientists are hard at work finding a cure for it. There are positive strides made every day, and there are all sorts of promising new developments, such as the use of stem cells to recover degenerated eye Read More...
Can stem cells cure the leading cause of blindness?
We have covered the pursuit for the cure to blindness a great deal at The Optimist Daily. The research and development around retinal implants and gene therapy for blind people is eclectic and ever-growing. Scientists have developed methods in gene editing and even using algae to help people see Read More...
Gene-therapy could treat leading cause of blindness
Throughout the past decade, it seems like science is getting closer to the reality of gene therapy. Here at The Optimist Daily, we’ve reported on a number of potential uses for the practice, including; curing blindness, reducing obesity, ending malaria, allowing cross species organ transplants, Read More...
Scientists use algae proteins to partially restore vision of blind man
Retinitis pigmentosa — a disease that progressively destroys light-sensing cells on the surface of the retina — is one of the most common causes of blindness in young people, affecting about one in 4,000 people worldwide. Though there’s no cure for this genetic disorder, scientists are Read More...
Bionic eye may soon restore vision in patients with certain types of blindness
Scientists at the University of Sydney and University of New South Wales have developed an impressive device that sparks new hope for people with certain types of blindness—a bionic eye. The novel prosthesis, called the Phoenix99 Bionic Eye, is designed to restore the sight of patients with Read More...
Winners of international James Dyson Award 2021 announced
Every year the international James Dyson Awards take place, where designers have to come up with new-problem solving ideas. Previous winners have included an at-home breast cancer detection box, a plastic alternative made from fish waste, and an urban wind turbine. The bar is set high for Read More...
Spanish parents invent high-tech augmented reality glasses to help son see
Impaired vision makes it hard to do everyday activities, and although it can’t be fixed with glasses, contact lenses, or other standard treatments, one recent breakthrough may help those suffering from untreatable vision problems better perceive their surroundings. The helpful device was Read More...
A synthetic cornea just restored the vision of a blind man
According to the WHO, corneal damage from infections or inflammatory eye diseases is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, affecting around two million new patients every year. One possible way for patients with corneal blindness to regain their vision involves cornea transplants, but a Read More...
How gene therapy brought back this Canadian boy’s vision
An eight-year-old by the name of Sam recently became the first Canadian to be successfully treated with gene replacement therapy to cure a rare form of blindness. Sam’s condition, which is a genetic disorder known as retinitis pigmentosa, made it impossible for Sam to see the sky on a cloudy Read More...
Hungarian scientist uncovers gene-based therapy that could cure blindness
Since 1985, the Körber Foundation in Hamburg has been awarding a prestigious prize to scientists whose work has applied futuristic techniques to physical sciences. This year, the Körber Prize for European Science 2020 was awarded to Hungarian researcher Botond Roska, who uncovered a gene-based Read More...