[Editor’s note. Achromatopsia is a visual disorder sometimes referred to as “day blindness”.]
Imagine stepping out into a bright South Floriaya morning — and literally being so sensitive to light that it causes painful blindness. Imagine, too, being unable to discriminate between colors and slowly (and reluctantly) adapting to losing your sight.
For those suffering from achromatopsia (ACHM), a rare inherited condition with no cure, these situations are a reality. But now a clinical trial at four different U.S. sites, including University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, is providing, quite literally, a ray of hope for those who suffer from this gene mutation.
The trial will evaluate a cutting-edge concept: gene therapy.
“For years, patients who had hereditary retinal diseases didn’t really have much hope,” said Dr. Byron Lam, a neuro-opthalmologist who specializes in hereditary retinal degenerations at UM’s Miller School of Medicine. “They were diagnosed, but there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it. Now there is hope. It’s the first time we can say, ‘We might be able to do something about this.’”
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Cutting-edge gene therapy provides hope for patients with inherited eye conditions
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