'For the first time in a decade, I can see': Gene therapy in Dublin restores blind man's sight

Stuart Haxell from Sligo with his mum Majella at the Mater Hospital in Dublin after 31-year-old Stuart had some sight restored after over a decade of functional blindness. Picture: Julien Behal

The ability to read a letter T on a chart just two weeks after groundbreaking eye surgery left Stuart Haxell shaking — because up to then, he had been functionally blind.

The 31-year-old is the first person to have ocular gene therapy in Ireland and it is hoped many more now can benefit from this life-changing treatment.