CHILDREN suffering blindness will have their eyesight restored on the NHS by a revolutionary new gene therapy.

Babies born with inherited retinal dystrophies disorder have poor sight which swiftly deteriorates, with most losing their vision completely.

Until now, no treatment has been available.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens announced that the life-changing treatment, voretigene neparvovec - which normally costs £613,410 a patient but is being bought at an undisclosed reduced price - will be available on the NHS for children and adults from 2020.

It is the first in a new generation of gene therapies that can be directly administered to patients, in this case through an injection.

Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Oxford Eye Hospital Robert MacLaren, who is also a professor of Ophthalmology at the Oxford University, said: "The progression of inherited retinal degeneration caused by RPE65 gene mutations leads to blindness, which has a profound effect on the lives of affected patients and their carers.

"As a clinician, I believe the true value of voretigene neparvovec is its potential to improve vision in children and adults, and enabling them to participate fully at school, work and in their private lives."

Speaking at the Health Innovation Expo conference in Manchester, Mr Stevens of NHS England, said: "For previous generations, curing blindness would literally have been seen as a 'miracle'. Now modern medicine is making that a reality for our patients.

"Loss of vision can have devastating effects, particularly for children and young people, but this is truly life-changing treatment restores the sight of people with this rare condition.

"Once again the NHS is at the forefront of the genomic revolution with patients in England among the first to benefit from this revolutionary new treatment."