In what was termed a first of its kind in India, doctors used stem cell therapy to restore the vision of an NRI whose condition was claimed to be irreversible by American doctors, here on Tuesday.

Shailesh (name changed), a 22-year-old US-based medical sciences student experienced a sudden loss of vision after accidentally consuming methanol.

Himanshu Bansal, a stem cell therapist from the Institute of Spinal Injury and Stem Cell Research, who treated him said, “After diagnosis and treatments, the doctors who were consulted in the US called his case irreversible and despite intensive treatment with high dose steroids, his condition continued to deteriorate, possibly due to cell death.”

For humans, methanol is said to be highly toxic. If ingested, as little as 10 ml can damage the optic nerve, thereby causing permanent blindness while 30 ml could be potentially fatal.

“During the procedure, doctors aspirated about 120 ml of autologus bone marrow from the lilac crest and concentrated it to 20 ml, processed it, and injected it into Shailesh’s optic nerve,” said Bansal. “A week after the procedure, Shailesh was able to read and differentiate colours,” he added. The procedure was carried out at Laksha Hospital, Mylapore.

“Once I return to the US, I will revisit my doctors and show them how Indian doctors have succeeded in treating me while they claimed my condition was irreversible,” said Shailesh. “We are plan to publish the achievement in a medical journal,” added Bansal.