Stem cell trials aim to restore vision

Sylvia Paton, 50, from Corstorphine, Edinburgh, was born with aniridia, a rare condition which causes incomplete formation of the iris which controls how light enters the eye. It results in loss of vision which usually affects both eyes.

Mrs Paton has no discernible iris, meaning she has only a large dilated pupil. She is forced to wear dark glasses, is extremely short-sighted and has just 10 per cent of the vision of a sighted person.

Corneal blindness is much more common and affects the transparent covering of the eye which becomes opaque. Its effects are particularly devastating for someone who already has severe vision problems.

Mrs Paton, a personal assistant, was one of two patients to have the stem cell treatment, which has been developed by Scottish scientists and clinicians, and is said to be the first of its kind in the UK.

Stem cells from deceased donors are transplanted onto the patient’s cornea where they are expected to grow and replace damaged tissue.

Mrs Paton underwent the three-hour procedure 12 weeks ago in the hope that it would improve her quality of life, but also because she believes it has the potential to change the lives of millions of other people with corneal blindness.

Mrs Paton said: “It has the potential to save vision, protect and give back vision to people like me.

“Even if only a little of my vision is restored, it would be better than nothing. Plus, it means that the team has gained valuable experience

“My vision is deteriorating as I get older, much the same as other people’s. However, I already only have around 10 per cent of the vision of sighted people.

“Until now there’s really nothing that could be done to combat the effects of this type of blindness.

“Not only could this treatment in time be beneficial for millions of people who suffer from corneal blindness but could also help my son, who also suffers from the same disease.”