Eye Regeneration

China has pioneered a “stunning” operation that regenerates eyes lenses to treat children with cataracts.

11:42 14 March 2016

More than 50per cent of all cases of blindness are due to cataracts or the clouding of the eye’s lens. To restore the sight, a specially designed lens in implanted into the eye. However, a new operation described in Nature activates stem cells in the eyes to grow a new one.

 

The “stunning” operation is now recognised as one of the finest achievements in the field of regenerative medicine.

 

Dr Kang Zhang, one of the researchers, said: "This is the first time an entire lens has been regenerated. The children were operated on in China and they continue to be doing very well with normal vision."

 

It also showed a dramatically lower complication rate "by almost every measure, supporting the superiority of the treatment".

 

Prof Robin Ali from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, described the operation as “stunning”

 

"This new approach offers greatly improved prospects for the treatment of paediatric cataracts as it results in regeneration of a normal lens that grows naturally."

 

Meanwhile, Dr Dusko Ilic, a reader in stem cell science at King's College London, said: "The study is one of the finest achievements in the field of regenerative medicine until now.

 

"It is science at its best."