# The blind will see. That is all. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 14, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352 "2014-10-14T23:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anise/32/21721_2.png) [@Anise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anise)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/1 "2014-10-14T23:47:42Z")
The study just came out in the Lancet. [Articles www.thelancet.com Published online October 15, 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61376-3 1 Human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium in patients with age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt’s macular dystrophy: follow-up of two open-label phase 1/2 studies](http://download.thelancet.com/flatcontentassets/pdfs/S0140673614613763.pdf) It’s all beginning. These are diseases that have never had cures or treatments. The new day of medicine has DAWNED. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/2 "2014-10-14T23:49:25Z")
Er… what’s beginning? ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/3 "2014-10-14T23:57:15Z")
Paging **Ferret Herder**! ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/4 "2014-10-15T00:57:50Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Er… what’s beginning? The dawn! ---
**Author:** ![Anise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anise/32/21721_2.png) [@Anise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anise)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/5 "2014-10-15T03:40:40Z")
I guess that’s kind of vague. 😉 This is a journal article about the 3-year results of a study on people with advanced macular degeneration (both age-related and Stargardt’s, which is genetic and affects younger people.) It’s the first study ever done on a human embryonic stem cell treatment with such a long follow-up. In this study, only ONE patient’s vision followed the normal course of MD over that period (normal = getting worse.) Everyone else either stayed the same (which shouldn’t happen) or improved (which definitely wouldn’t normally happen.) Over half had a significant improvement. I’ve been following this study and this science for three and a half years. I was diagnosed with idiopathic macular degeneration, a very very rare form that affects younger people and is treated with the same drugs as for wet age-related macular degeneration. NOBODY thought that the anti-VEGF drug would help me… it did, and I had a great response; I’m so much luckier than a lot of other people. _But_ [Avastin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevacizumab) and the other drugs like it are treatment, not a cure. The most common form of AMD is the “dry” kind, which has no treatment at all (neither do the other types.) So this is a great day. 🙂 I hope the context helped! ---
**Author:** ![Anise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anise/32/21721_2.png) [@Anise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anise)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/6 "2014-10-15T03:47:12Z")
I just missed the editing deadline! what I meant to add is that my doctors tried the drugs because at least it was something to do, I guess… but nobody actually expected them to have an effect. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/7 "2014-10-15T12:01:28Z")
Yes, that is great news and I hope you get a lot of benefit from it. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/8 "2014-10-15T14:13:38Z")
Rather ironic that the main organization against research like this also makes a big deal about the healing of the blind… well, at least one man, a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/9 "2014-10-15T14:20:46Z")
I’m blind for a different reason. Still waiting for the new dawn, and with great certainty, I will not see. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/10 "2014-10-15T14:59:38Z")
My husband has [Wet Macular Degeneration](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macular_degeneration#Wet_AMD), and is treated every 6-8 weeks with Avastin. He has regained much (but not all) of the sight in that eye. ---
**Author:** ![Anise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anise/32/21721_2.png) [@Anise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anise)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/11 "2014-10-16T01:51:58Z")
> [@Cheez\_Whia](#): > > My husband has [Wet Macular Degeneration](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macular_degeneration#Wet_AMD), and is treated every 6-8 weeks with Avastin. He has regained much (but not all) of the sight in that eye. That’s exactly the drug I had. 🙂 It definitely has great results for some people… your husband and I were two of the lucky ones, I think… although nobody really knows exactly what disease/disorder/whatever I had, Avastin is one of the drugs designed for wet AMD, and it did work. I hope everything continues to go really well for your family!! ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-blind-will-see-that-is-all/701352/12 "2014-10-16T05:26:16Z")
Thanks! His doc is very pleased with the results. 🙂