"Magical" Contact Lenses Cure Blindness

Contact LensOften times, truth is stranger than fiction. When people were calling for stem stell research, I don't think that I fully realized the ramifications of the potential. However, in this case, seeing, quite literally, is believing after the use of stem cells has "cured" blindness in no less than three people. The procedure seems pretty straight-forward as described below.

From here: 

"All three patients were blind in one eye. The researchers extracted stem cells from their working eyes, cultured them in contact lenses for 10 days, and gave them to the patients. Within 10 to 14 days of use, the stem cells began recolonizing and repairing the cornea."

The results were more than impressive:  two of the formerly blind patients can now read the big letters on an eye-chart and now another, who could read some of the eye chart, can now read enough of the eye-chart to pass a driver's license test.  Wow!

The researchers, however, are remaining cautiously optimistic about this development. Though the results are more than significant, the number of trial cases was very small and it remains to be seen whether or not the patients' eyes will stay "focused" or not in the future. Apparently, it is only one of many similar studies being conducted throughout the world to investigate the possibilities of curing blindness through the use of stem cells.

The ramifications of this extend to more than just the eye. One doctor is already looking to the possibility of using stem cells to help larger body parts such as the skin, so keep your "eyes" out for new developments.