Woman’s Blindness Apparently Reversed by Stem Cell Treatment

Sitting on the front steps of her Cockeysville, Md., home a year and a half ago, Vanna Belton was startled and thrilled when her eyes focused on a car's license plate. Essentially blind for more than five years, she suddenly could read the numbers and letters.

"When I realized I could see the license plates, we started walking around the neighborhood reading them," said Belton, recalling the excitement she and her fiancée felt at that moment. "We drove around and read store signs. The Pennsylvania Dutch Market. The tanning salon."

No one can explain exactly how Belton came to see again, not even the doctor who treated her as part of an unconventional stem cell study shortly before she regained limited vision.

Despite their promise, stem cell treatments often garner skepticism from experts who are still studying their safety and effectiveness. While stem cells can be grown into any type of cell in the body, scientists generally believe proving the cells can repair or cure anything is a ways off. The only U.S. government approved stem cell treatment involves blood clotting disorders, but that hasn't stopped those who can afford the treatments from seeking them.

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/womans-blindness-apparently-reversed-by-stem-cell-treatment/