Giving Sight by Therapy With Genes
By Pam Belluck © The New York Times — By the time Corey Haas was 7, the retinal disease he was born with had already stolen much of his vision. “He always clung to me or my wife,” said Corey’s father, Ethan Haas. The boy relied on a cane and adults to guide him, and, unable to see blackboard writing, sat in back with a teacher’s aide, large-type computer screen and materials in braille. Legally blind, Corey was expected eventually to lose all sight. Then, 13 months ago, after his eighth birthday, he underwent an experimental gene therapy procedure, receiving an injection in his left eye. His vision in that eye improved quickly…. READ ARTICLE