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  • OUTLOOK

Four technologies that could transform the treatment of blindness

A decade ago, clinicians had nothing to offer most people affected by retinal degeneration. Breakthroughs in genetics, bionics and stem-cell therapy are changing that.
  1. Simon Makin

    1. Simon Makin is a science writer based in London.

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Animation showing a person wearing glasses appearing from behind a black mask that slowly dissolves

Credit: Taj Francis

Worldwide, 36 million people have total vision loss1. They cannot see shapes or even sources of light. For most of these people, their blindness stems from rectifiable problems such as cataracts — they simply lack access to appropriate health care. The remaining millions, however, are blind as a result of conditions that currently have no effective treatment.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01107-8

This article is part of Nature Outlook: The eye, an editorially independent supplement.

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