Genetic discovery about childhood blindness paves way for new treatments
Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - 00:01
in Health & Medicine
Finding genes for retinal degenerations has immediate benefits for people living with blindness and vision loss, their families, and their physicians. Establishing a genetic cause confirms the clinical diagnosis at the molecular level, helps predict the future visual prognosis, suggests therapies, and allows some patients to join clinical trials. While more than 200 genes for retinal degenerations have been identified, approximately 40-50 percent of cases remain a mystery.