ANIMALS blinded following damage to their optic nerve have had their vision partially restored with the help of an implanted nanoscale scaffold that has encouraged nerve tissue to regrow. The technique, likened by its inventors to the way a garden trellis encourages the growth of ivy, holds out the hope that people with diseased or injured optic nerves might one day recover their sight.
The optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, can be severed by traumatic injuries such as those suffered in car crashes. It can also be damaged by glaucoma, when excessive pressure in the eyeball…
