Study Shows Patient with Retinitis Pigmentosa Regaining Partial Sight

A research team led by Dr. José-Alain Sahel, professor of Ophthalmology at Sorbonne University and the University of Pittsburgh, published a study that utilized a technique that yielded promising results for individuals with retinitis pigmentosa. Specifically, evidence showed that “injection of an optogenetic sensor-expressing gene therapy vector combined with the wearing of light-stimulating goggles can partially restore visual function in a patient with RP who had a visual acuity of only light perception,” as noted in the research team’s article, available in full in nature medicine. The report revealed that the patient utilizing the combined technique actually oriented toward an object and reached for it. Additional tests showed “a major improvement in visual activities, such as detecting a plate, mug, phone, finding a piece of furniture in a room or detecting a door in a corridor but only when using the goggles.” A report on the study in TIME magazine is available here.