Experimental gene therapy and smart goggles give limited vision to some blind patients

In a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists used optogenetics to give retinal ganglion cells the ability to detect light in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. The approach involved injecting the gene for the protein ChrimsonR into the eye with the worse vision, making those cells responsive to amber light. Custom goggles captured ambient brightness and projected it as light pulses onto the treated retina.

Seven of ten participants showed improved light sensitivity, and four of eight who underwent behavioral testing could navigate simple obstacles while wearing the goggles. The method cannot help those whose optic nerve is damaged, and it does not yet enable reading or face perception. Researchers aim to extend the technology to more complex visual tasks in future trials.