Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleJane KirbyWednesday 22 April 2026 21:01 BSTSaffie Sandford has had her sight restored thanks to a one-off gene therapy on the NHS (Family handout/Great Ormond Street/PA)Six-year-old Saffie Sandford, from Stevenage, has had her sight restored thanks to pioneering eye gene therapy on the NHS.Saffie was diagnosed with the rare inherited condition Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), which severely affects vision, particularly in low light.The treatment, called Luxturna, involves injecting a healthy copy of a gene directly into the eye, and was administered at Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh).Her mother, Lisa, described the therapy as "life-changing," enabling Saffie to participate in activities like trick-or-treating and improving her peripheral vision and school performance.Research by Gosh and University College London indicates that Luxturna can improve visual pathways in young children with RPE65-related retinal disease, with earlier treatment showing greater benefits.In fullSix-year-old girl has vision restored after first-of-its-kind NHS eye gene therapyThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in