Dad Sees Newborn for the First Time After Virus Is Injected into His Eye: 'It's Been a Blessing'

Mar. 15, 2025

Tyler Wilfong.Photo:CBS 17/YouTube

CBS 17/YouTube

A dad with the degenerative eye disease retinitis pigmentosa was able to see his newborn son for the first time, thanks to a genetic therapy that restored partial sightA “healthy copy” of a mutated gene that had caused his blindness was injected into Tyler Wilfong’s eyeHe had started losing his sight at age 23 and now says it’s a “blessing” to see his sonA new father with adegenerative eye diseasewas able to see his newborn son for the first time, thanks to a genetic therapy that helped restore partial sight to one of his eyes.Tyler Wilfong of Lincolnton, North Carolina, said it’s “amazing” to see his newborn son.Wilfong was born with the progressive eye diseaseretinitis pigmentosa(or RP), which, according to theNational Eye Institute, causes the “cells in the retina [to] break down slowly over time, causing vision loss.”“It progresses to where it’spretty much blindness,” Wilfong toldCBS 17, adding that he lost his driver’s license at age 23 when “my peripheral vision got too bad.”“I knew it was inevitable,” he said, adding that he had to rely on his wife to walk in public spaces. “I was losing a lot of independence.”But then Wilfong learned that the Duke Eye Center in Durham, North Carolina, offered a genetic therapy that could potentially restore some of his sight.“There’s a gene that is important for the retina to work properly, and a mutation in that gene renders it not functional,” Oleg Alekseev, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Duke, explained to the outlet. “So what we try to do is to bring a healthy copy of that gene into the eye through an injection.”While they use a virus as a carrier of the gene, Dr. Lejla Vajzovic, Associate Professor of Opthalmology at Duke, explained to CBS 17, “This virus is specifically developed to infect the cells in the back part of the eye to really serve as a vehicle to deliver the new gene, a good gene.”The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!He underwent the therapy on one eye in the spring — and within days, he saw something remarkable.“I could actually see my fingers in front of my face, which I’ve never been able to do,” Wilfong said.But it was seeing his newborn son’s face that was the best part — and now, he tells the outlet, he can take a more active role in caring for him.“It’s been a blessing,” said Wilfong, who is planning to undergo the procedure on his other eye.“It’s made of a world of difference,” he marveled. “Just simple tasks that you don’t even think of, like changing his clothes.”Although the procedure was successful for Wilfong, Duke Eye Center’s researchers noted it might not work for everyone.“This applies to only those patients who have this particular gene affected,” Alekseev told CBS 17. “This gene represents less than one percent of all retinitis pigmentosa genes out there, so for the other about 100,000 Americans living with RP, they’re still waiting for their treatments, and so we really have our work cut out for us to find those treatments.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

A new father with adegenerative eye diseasewas able to see his newborn son for the first time, thanks to a genetic therapy that helped restore partial sight to one of his eyes.

Tyler Wilfong of Lincolnton, North Carolina, said it’s “amazing” to see his newborn son.

Wilfong was born with the progressive eye diseaseretinitis pigmentosa(or RP), which, according to theNational Eye Institute, causes the “cells in the retina [to] break down slowly over time, causing vision loss.”

“It progresses to where it’spretty much blindness,” Wilfong toldCBS 17, adding that he lost his driver’s license at age 23 when “my peripheral vision got too bad.”

“I knew it was inevitable,” he said, adding that he had to rely on his wife to walk in public spaces. “I was losing a lot of independence.”

But then Wilfong learned that the Duke Eye Center in Durham, North Carolina, offered a genetic therapy that could potentially restore some of his sight.

“There’s a gene that is important for the retina to work properly, and a mutation in that gene renders it not functional,” Oleg Alekseev, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Duke, explained to the outlet. “So what we try to do is to bring a healthy copy of that gene into the eye through an injection.”

While they use a virus as a carrier of the gene, Dr. Lejla Vajzovic, Associate Professor of Opthalmology at Duke, explained to CBS 17, “This virus is specifically developed to infect the cells in the back part of the eye to really serve as a vehicle to deliver the new gene, a good gene.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

He underwent the therapy on one eye in the spring — and within days, he saw something remarkable.

“I could actually see my fingers in front of my face, which I’ve never been able to do,” Wilfong said.

But it was seeing his newborn son’s face that was the best part — and now, he tells the outlet, he can take a more active role in caring for him.

“It’s been a blessing,” said Wilfong, who is planning to undergo the procedure on his other eye.

“It’s made of a world of difference,” he marveled. “Just simple tasks that you don’t even think of, like changing his clothes.”

Although the procedure was successful for Wilfong, Duke Eye Center’s researchers noted it might not work for everyone.

“This applies to only those patients who have this particular gene affected,” Alekseev told CBS 17. “This gene represents less than one percent of all retinitis pigmentosa genes out there, so for the other about 100,000 Americans living with RP, they’re still waiting for their treatments, and so we really have our work cut out for us to find those treatments.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

source: people.com