Cell transplant restores vision

In Archive by Fredy Ore

BBC World reports on a stem cell transplant that has given vision back to a blind man. The operation transplanted corneal (part of the eye that covers the iris and the pupil) and limbal (a thin area that connects the cornea and sclera) stem cells into his right eye.

The article comments that over the two years following the transplant, researchers were able to study how he learned to see again, measuring how he perceived shapes, his spatial awareness and how he saw 3D images.

Interestingly he is now able to see form, colour and motion (found to be his most well-preserved visual ability) almost normally, however his 3D perception and face and object recognition is still severely impaired.