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VIDEO: Amazing eye op for Westhoughton teenager
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| Steven had to wear spectacles when he was four but now he can see in the dark after ground-breaking gene therapy was used to correct his sight |
A TEENAGER who could have been blind by the age of 20 has had his sight saved by a pioneering operation.
Steven Howarth, aged 18, from Westhoughton, took part in the world's first clinical trial of gene therapy treatment for a type of inherited blindness.
A genetic fault was stopping his eyes detecting light properly.
It meant he struggled to see in the dark - and when he was out he had to rush home while it was still light.
But functioning genes were inserted behind his retinas in a procedure led by former Bolton School pupil, Professor Robin Ali, one of the UK's leading experts in ophthalmology.
And there has been a significant improvement in Steven's vision.
He says his life has been transformed by the surgery.
He said: "Before the operation, I mostly stayed indoors and when I did go out I rushed home before it got dark.
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| The two illustration shows how a fluid carrying the healthy gene, contained within a modified virus, was injected behind Steven Howarth's retina. Cells in the pigment layer absorb the fluid and the retina returns to its normal position,. |
"But now I'm free to do what I want."
Steven, of Fairhaven Avenue, Westhoughton, has suffered from the genetic disease, Leber's congenital amaurosis, since birth.
The faulty gene meant the light-detecting cells at the back of his eyes were damaged and were slowly degenerating as he got older.
Before his treatement, the former Westhoughton High pupil not only struggled to see in the dark, he also struggled to see things in the distance during the day.
The revolutionary new procedure was carried out on his right eye by doctors at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London last July.
Just a few months later doctors began to see an improvement.
Professor Ali, of the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology which led the trial, said: "Showing for the first time that gene therapy can work in patients with eye disease is a very significant milestone."
Mr Howarth's parents, Thomas, aged 54, and Adalaida , aged 53, realised something was wrong when he was just a baby.
Mr Howarth said: "When we gave him his bottle he wouldn't put his hands out for it.
"We went to the Royal Bolton Hospital, l but they kept giving us glasses for him."
Steven, who is now studying music at Wigan College, was eventually diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, of which Leber's congenital amaurosis is a form, when he was aged eight.
The family joined the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society and learned about Moorfields Eye Hospital
They made an appointment with a specialist and were told there was no cure for the disease
Mr Howarth, a forklift driving instructor, said: "We just wanted to know how long it would be before Steven would lose his sight. He said it could be anything from two to 10 years.
"He was then only 10 years old."
He said the condition affected family life.
"When he tried to walk home in the dark, he was ending up in people's driveways because he couldn't distinguish between the footpath and gardens.
"We were always calling him, checking he was all right and giving him lifts as much as possible so he didn't have to be out in the dark on his own."
Steven admitted to having nerves before the operation.
He said: "I was told about everything that could go wrong, so it was a bit scary, but in the end I decided it was worth the risk.
"After the operation, my eye felt like sandpaper which was horrible."
That sensation soon disappeared, but it took a few months for his sight to return to the way it was before the operation. Since then it has been slowly getting better.
"It really hit me a couple of months ago when they showed me two videos - one of me walking in a darkened room set up like a maze before the operation and one after.
"The difference was amazing," he said.
Now he says he can see cracks in the pavement in the dark, as well as the kerb.
"His improved vision has also helped him with his musical skills because he can see the fretboard of his guitar much better. It also means he can stay later at college for rehearsals.
He added: "I'm really chuffed that the operation worked so well. I hope it can change other people's lives as well."
Professor Ali said: "This trial establishes proof of principle of gene therapy for inherited retinal disease and paves the way for the development of gene therapy approaches for a broad range of eye disorders."
8:09am Tuesday 29th April 2008
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CommentPosted by: Hank, Canada on 2:01pm Tue 29 Apr 08
That must have been a very radical surgical procedure. He still has 2 big stitches over his left eye.
That must have been a very radical surgical procedure. He still has 2 big stitches over his left eye.
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