WORLD / EUROPE Partial sight restored in blind man By AFP Published: May 25, 2021 08:28 PM Scientists have for the first time managed to partially restore the sight of a blind patient by altering his cells, according to the results of a groundbreaking study published on Monday. A visually impaired student reads Braille during an online class on World Braille Day on January 4 in Surabaya, Indonesia. Photo: VCGThe technique known as optogenetics, which has been developed in the field of neuroscience over the last 20 years, involves genetically altering cells so they produce more light-sensitive proteins. In some cases of blindness, known as inherited photoreceptor diseases, light-sensing cells in the retina that use proteins to deliver visual information to the brain via the optic nerve progressively degenerate.