 Can you imagine, gradually losing the ability to see? Most surveys of people around the world agree that vision is the sense people fear losing the most. We rely on this brush of sense to engage with the world around us, to develop relationships, to react to the sight of a unique building or beautiful flower. Unfortunately, there are 11 million Americans with the early form of a disease known as age-related macular degeneration, AMD, and already 2 million have lost vision because they have the devastating late form of this disease. AMD is an incurable disease most commonly seen in those over 50. It becomes increasingly common as people age. One in five Americans over the age of 50 and one in four Americans over the age of 65 will develop AMD. Within the aging population, the rate of AMD will continue to rise, making it a critical public health problem. AMD is caused by the degeneration of light-sensing cells in the eye, specifically in the part of the eye known as the retina. Normally, we are able to see because these cells in the eye take in the light from the world around us, then they send it in the form of electrical impulses to our brain, allowing us to perceive the images that surround us, the people, the trees, the flowers. However, in order to function, these light-sensing cells require support and nutrients from cells that keep the back of the eye healthy, called retinal pigment epithelial cells, RPE cells. However, in AMD, these supportive RPE cells start to die so that the eye no longer has the nutrients and support necessary to maintain good sight. Without such support, light-sensing cells in the eye degenerate and vision loss occurs. Over time, patients with AMD lose high-acquity vision and see only distorted or blurry images, losing the ability to discern objects or faces in their central vision. There are two types of AMD, wet and dry AMD. Dry AMD affects 90% of patients with AMD. It is caused by a breakdown or thinning of the RPE cell layer and is usually characterized by the presence of small yellow crystalline deposits called dresen. Dry AMD is currently incurable and visual impairment and blindness can have a disproportionate impact on people's perception of their quality of life, often compared to that of patients with advanced cancer, intractable pain, or stroke patients. These patients have endured a traumatic experience and need a breakthrough therapy to restore their quality of life. Stem cells may offer an answer. Using California Stem Cell Therapy Funding through Proposition 71 with the support of an international partnership with the Medical Research Council of the UK, a group of pioneering scientists at the University of Southern California in collaboration with the University of California at Santa Barbara, Caltech, and the City of Hope are turning to stem cells to try to treat AMD. The researchers are using embryonic stem cells to generate RPE cells. These RPE cells can be grown as a very thin sheet, only a single cell in depth, and then surgically implanted into the back of the eye on a micro scaffold, where they can functionally replace damaged RPE cells. In animal studies, once the RPE cells are restored, the remaining light-sensing cells' support are preserved, and visual function improves. This treatment was recently approved for clinical testing by the FDA and is about to begin in a human clinical trial to assess its safety and activity in late-stage AMD patients. Researchers in London, using a different approach than those at the University of Southern California, are also testing stem cell therapies in human clinical trials to restore vision in patients with the less common wet form of AMD. This pioneering work is a testament to the power of collaborative research among California's finest scientific centers and research institutes, to the importance of biomedical research funding from California's Proposition 71, and to the Stem Cell Therapy Funding Agency created, CERN. As scientists and patient advocates build on the progress that Proposition 71 has enabled, we must keep the momentum going, understanding that there is still much work to be done. We must remember that human trials will celebrate successes. The barriers will surface, along with complications and challenges, so patience and understanding of the scientific discovery process is essential. Only with continued support for biomedical research can we increase our understanding of stem cells, enhance our ability to use them to create and replace cells that are damaged or missing in disease, and give patients back their sight, which is so vitally important to their lives.