By Euronews
Published on
ADVEReadNOWISEMENT
In a world first, a man suffering from vision loss in Italy has regained his sight thanks to an experimental gene therapy.
The 38-year-old has Usher syndrome type 1b, a rare genetic disorder that causes profound deafness from birth and a progressive loss of vision, leading to blindness.
The surgery took place in July 2024 at the ophthalmology clinic of the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” in southern Italy. At the time, the patient had a visual capacity of less than a tenth, seeing the world as if he was looking at it through a keyhole.
A year later, the patient has recovered both his near and far sight, even in low-light conditions, his doctors said during a press conference.
“Before, everything was blurry, indistinct. Now I can go out at night alone, recognise colleagues, read subtitles on TV from afar, see the aisles of the warehouse where I work without stumbling,” the patient said.
“It’s not just seeing better, it’s starting to live,” he added.
The operation marks the first clinical demonstration of the effectiveness of the new gene therapy, which was developed by researchers at the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM) in Pozzuoli.
The operation involves injecting two separate viral vectors under the retina, each carrying half of the gene needed to produce the protein absent in Usher 1B patients.
“The operation takes place under general anaesthesia, but recovery is rapid,” said Francesca Simonelli, director of Vanvitelli University’s pphthalmology clinic.
“Already after a few days, an improvement is noticeable. At two weeks, the first patient could see better and at one month he was able to find his way even in the dark”.
“Today, one year later, his sight has been restored,” Simonelli added.
Seven other patients also underwent the procedure from October 2024 to April 2025, none of whom had serious side effects.
The preliminary results are encouraging and will be followed by a second experimental phase with seven more patients entering the programme.
If it is successful, the therapy could become a new option for many patients suffering from genetic eye disorders.