Vision Loss from Shaken Baby Syndrome

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Question:
My son is legally blind as a result of shaken baby syndrome when he was 10 months old. He is 16 now. He has optic nerve atrophy which is stable. Is there any research being done on optic nerve and eyeball transplant to treat such conditions?   

Answer:
There are many paths of eye research to restore vision (or "artificial vision") to patients such as your son. However, to date they have been limited to specific disorders involving blindness due to problems with specific cell damage. An "eyeball transplant" will not be an answer. Instead, the use of specific cell transplants, computer devices or both will be employed in an effort to make the eye that he has work more efficiently.

Answered by: Charles P. Wilkinson, MD  

Categories: Children's Eye Health

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