Genetic scientists have discovered a cure for colour blindness, offering hope to millions of sufferers. Scientists at the University of Washington, in Seattle, and the University of Florida restored normal vision to two colour-blind monkeys. The technique could prove to be a safe and effective cure for colour blindness and other visual disorders related to the cones in the retina. ‘Although colour blindness is only moderately life-altering, we have shown we can cure a cone disease in a primate and that it can be done very safely, said Professor William Hauswirth, an ophthalmic molecular geneticist at the University of Florida. ‘That is extremely encouraging for the development of therapies for human cone diseases that really are blinding. Those suffering from red-green colour blindness cannot distinguish between colours in the green-red-yellow part of the spectrum. This can make reading maps, using the internet and selecting a matching shirt and tie impossible. The disorder affects about 8 per cent of Caucasian males, but fewer than 0.5 per cent of females. Normal colour vision requires three types of cone in the retina, sensitive to light in the blue, green, and red parts of the spectrum. The squirrel monkeys in […]