Back in Sight

Surgeons in Oxford have used a gene therapy technique to improve the vision of six patients who would otherwise have gone blind. The operation involved inserting a gene into the eye cells, a treatment that revived light-detecting cells. The doctors involved believe that the treatment could in time be used to treat common forms of blindness. Prof Robert MacLaren, the surgeon who led the research, said he was "absolutely delighted" at the outcome, and that "we really couldn't have asked for a better result." Neither could I. Case in point - Jonathan Wyatt, who was 63 when the trial started two years ago. He has a genetic condition known as choroideremia, which results in the light-detecting cells at the back of the eye gradually dying, and thanks to the therapy, is now able to read three lines further down in an optician's sight chart. Mr Wyatt was still just about able to see when he had the operation. His hope was that the procedure would stop further deterioration and save what little sight he had left. But he, like another patient in Professor MacLaren's trial, found that not only did the operation stabilise his vision - it improved it. The other subjects, who were at earlier stages in their vision, experienced improvements in their ability to see at night. Now that he can see properly again, he can see when this has happened - you hand over the iPhone or iPad to a child while waiting in the doctor's office, standing in line at Starbucks, or sitting in the car for a long road trip with the family. The youngster is playing a game on a fun mobile app and then hands you the phone saying he needs your password. Next thing you know, there's a charge on your credit card from Apple. Too often, parents were caught unaware that by entering their password they were authorizing purchases — of virtual pet treats, coins, or perhaps a way to advance to the game's next level, the Federal Trade Commission said in announcing that Apple Inc. had agreed to refund at least US$32.5 million in such charges to unsuspecting parents. As part of the settlement, the FTC said Apple also must change its billing practices to make it more obvious that an actual purchase is taking place during the course of the game or app. Apple CEO Tim Cook said the Cupertino-based company relented to the FTC because the consent decree "does not require us to do anything we weren't already going to do, so we decided to accept it rather than take on a long and distracting legal fight." But a fight did go down last night (Mountain Standard Time) in Phoenix, Arizona during an NBA game between the Lakers and the Suns. Struggling Suns rookie Alex Len made his name known in the game, but not in a good way. As Lakers guard Nick Young was on his way to the basket and going in for a layup, Len committed a hard foul that floored Young:

Young took exception, and came up from the ground throwing punches at anyone in a white jersey:

The result? Both Young and Len were ejected - Young for throwing a punch at Goran Dragic, and Len for a flagrant-2 (disqualifying) foul. So think before you cause mayhem on the court.