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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2018 - 05 - 23 - ID#8lgk6v
1
QUESTION! (self.Blind)
submitted 5.213375128600823y ago by FujuFruit
Are there surgeries to make blind people NOT blind? I'm not blind, just wondering if there are people that were born blind but we're able to see after a surgerie or something.
Myntrith 3 points 5y ago
Yes and no. It depends on the cause of the blindness. For retinal diseases, except for what ~~/r/JackEsq~~ /u/JackEsq just posted about, I've not heard of anything available to the general public. I've heard of stem cell treatments that are still in experimental or trial phases.

For optic nerve damage, there is also nothing (so far as I've heard) that can restore vision. I know one person who went blind from an overprescription of low blood pressure meds which starved his optic nerve. I know another person who tells me that his optic nerve is thinner than average and may degrade over time.

Cataracts can be often be treated with surgery. Focus issues can often be fixed with surgery.

It all depends on the details.
KillerLag 1 points 5y ago
Cataracts is the major success story. In developing countries, it is the leading cause of vision loss. In developed countries, the surgery is now day surgery, with an extremely high success rate.

The cause of blindness is a major factor. Nerve damage is significantly more difficult to repair than other parts of the eye. Cornea transplants don't have any nerves, and has also had decent success rates.
FujuFruit [OP] 1 points 5y ago
Thanks!
JackEsq 1 points 5y ago
I’m more familiar with genetic retinal conditions that cause blindness. The FDA just approved this year the first gene therapy treatment for a specific gene REP65 that causes Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis. The treatment is expensive at $425,000.00 per eye and while it improves vision the long term efficacy is not really known.
FujuFruit [OP] 2 points 5y ago
Interesting. That's a huge price though. Hopefully it lowers.
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