News
Gene Therapy Brings 9-Year-Old Out of Darkness
Posted 5/21/18 (Mon)
At age 9, Creed Pettit had to carry a flashlight with him everywhere—even in his school lunchbox, so he could see his food. Leber congenital amaurosis, a rare genetic condition, made it impossible for him to see except in bright light. But Creed was one of the first U.S. patients to receive a new gene therapy designed especially for his condition. Audina M. Berrocal, MD, a pediatric retinal surgeon at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Fla., performed the procedure. Within a month, Creed ditched the flashlights and lamps and was noticing details of the world that he’d never seen before.