Solicitor Toby Stroh and former barrister Jonathan Wyatt are among the patients who took part in a gene therapy trial that has helped to save them from blindness
 
Thousands of people suffering from common forms of blindness could have their sight restored under a pioneering new treatment.
 
Researchers at Oxford University have discovered that by replacing a missing gene into the retina they can prevent cells from degenerating. The aim is to treat a progressive blindness called choroideremia.
 
The therapy even improves the sight of those who have already begun to go blind in results that have ‘surpassed expectations.’
 
Two men who were already at an advanced stage of vision loss have experienced dramatic improvements in their sight which, so far, has lasted for two years.
 
Solicitor Toby Stroh and former barrister Jonathan Wyatt are among the patients who took part in the trial and both men are convinced their sight has improved.
 
Even though the trial has been limited to one eye in order to draw comparisons, Mr Stroh said he believed he has been released from a constant fear.
 
"As a result of the trial there is very real and tangible hope that I will continue to be able to see and that is just a massive advance and has actually made a significant difference to the way I approach my life now," he said.

SOURCE:
Telegraph 1
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