Brighten Your Day

Miracle Surgery Reverses Blindness In Three-Year-Old

April 4, 2024

Today's good news story comes from London, England.

In a remarkable turn of events, Khadijah Chaudhry, a three-year-old girl diagnosed with Leber congenital amaurosis-4, has defied the odds and regained her sight thanks to a groundbreaking gene therapy procedure.

Photo: DailyMail

Born with a condition that threatened to rob her of her vision before she turned four, Khadijah's future seemed uncertain until she became one of the first children in the world to undergo a pioneering keyhole eye surgery at Evelina London Children's Hospital.

Leber congenital amaurosis-4, affecting approximately one in 40,000 newborns, severely limits vision, leaving individuals with only the ability to discern light from dark. For Khadijah, this diagnosis meant a life potentially shrouded in darkness before she even reached her fourth birthday. However, the innovative gene therapy offered a glimmer of hope.

During the procedure, Khadijah was injected with healthy copies of a crucial gene, a treatment designed to halt and even reverse the progression of her blindness. Led by renowned surgeon Neruban Kumaran, the medical team at Evelina London Children's Hospital embarked on this revolutionary journey to restore Khadijah's sight.

Although the technique is still in its experimental stages and not yet licensed for widespread use, the initial results have been nothing short of miraculous. Khadijah's parents have already observed improvements in her vision, signaling a promising outcome for the young girl's future.

"We're really pleased with how Khadijah's surgeries went," lead surgeon Neruban Kumaran told The Mirror. "Her mother and father have already noticed an improvement in her vision, which is very promising."