Eye from organ donor ‘brought back to life’ by scientists

Breakthrough discovery gives scientists hope for future therapies for sight loss, reports Aisha Rimi

Scientists onducted experiments in the dark as she exposed donor eye tissue to different kinds of light and recorded photoreceptor responses (John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah)

Scientists have managed to wake up light-sensing cells in eyes from dead organ donors, a discovery which could help the development of treatments to improve vision.

Photosensitive neuron cells in the retina were able to respond to light and communicate with each other up to five hours after death, sending signals “resembling those recorded from living subjects”.

These neurons form part of the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and spinal cord, suggesting that other cells in the CNS could be similarly restored and could bring back consciousness.