Sight of blind pair improved after stem cell injections "The
controversial development could provide hope for hundreds of
thousands of people suffering from macular degeneration." Photo:
Paul Harris EMBRYONIC stem cells have been used to treat human
illness for the first time, improving the sight of two women
with severe vision loss. The controversial development could
give hope to hundreds of thousands of people suffering macular
degeneration - one of the most common forms of blindness in
First World countries - and has been hailed a historic step by
stem cell scientists. In a US trial last year, two legally blind
women reported sight improvements after receiving a small dose
of embryonic stem cell transplantations in their eyes. Both had
different forms of macular degeneration, a group of diseases
that affect the retina, causing loss of central vision. After
the transplant in July, the first woman, who suffers from dry
age-related macular degeneration, went from being able to read
21 letters on a sight test