Monkey see

U.S. researchers have cured red-green color blindness in monkeys using gene therapy.¹ Although the group is unsure about the risk-benefit ratio of treating color blindness in humans, team members are investigating whether the approach can treat more severe vision disorders.

Most untreatable vision disorders are caused by genetic defects that result in improper functioning of the photoreceptors in the retina. In disorders such as cone dystrophy, cone-rod dystrophy and early onset macular degeneration,genetic mutations induce abnormal protein expression that damages the retina, resulting in loss of vision...