Doctors have taken stem cells from a dead donor and transplanted them into a blind woman, allowing her to see for the first time in years.The pioneering surgery was carried out on Deborah Catlyn, who was blind in one eye through a childhood accident and lost the sight in her other eye after acid was thrown in her face at a nightclub.She feared she would not see her new daughter, Miracle, but just a month after the baby was born, Deborah had the operation.

   Surgeons grew the cells in a laboratory to form a thin layer and after 12 days the sheet of stem cells was draped over the front of Deborahs eye and held in place by a biological bandage made from part of a placenta.

   Within three weeks the bandage melted away, leaving the stem cells to repair the cornea - the transparent window at the front of the eye.

   Deborah had been told she would be blind for life but her sight is good enough for her to drive.

   More than 20 patients have had the operation at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Sussex and surgeons believe the risks involved are far lower than in a traditional cornea transplant.

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Question from : dianne ferguson

I have worn soft contacts for 25 years, but take them out at night. No problems until, 6 months ago I woke up with a very red eye (just one) Since then my eye has been uncomfortable, as though something were in it. Optometrist gave me Tobradex and observed blisters on the underside of my eyelids. No discharge. After meds, no change. Ophthalmologist gave me something for dry eyes. No change. The eye started to itch today and the skin area below my lower eyelid is peeling and a funny deep pink and swollen a little, puffy. Med. doctor looked at it and just gave me antihistamine drops. No change so far. The only time it doesnt hurt is when my contacts are IN. What can it be? No one has tested me for staph or bacterial or viral infections yet. Should I ask? Thank you; I am desperate.

Dr. Webber:

It sounds like a bad case of GPC which as an inflammatory condition as a result of an allergy. The contacts act as a barrier to the bumps and protect the cornea. You need steroid eye drops for a period followed by an eye drop like Patanol or Zaditor. It will not go away, but can be controlled. You should also be wearing a contact lens made by CSI.

   University of Iowa researchers say theyve confirmed a major cause of macular degeneration, a disease that robs many people of their sight.

   Scientists who spent 10 years looking deep into victims genes found that about half have genetic defects that allow their immune systems to go haywire. The researchers believe the victims defense systems mistakenly attack tissue in the back of the eye and leave scars that blur vision.

   The findings could lead to experimental treatments within five to eight years, said Dr. Gregory Hageman, an ophthalmology professor who led the U of I team.

   "This is a big deal, especially for all those people who are affected," Hageman said.

   About 15 million Americans have the disease, which is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

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