Optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) occurs from the underdevelopment of the optic nerve, which carries neuronal transmission from the retina in the eye to the brain. Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) – also known as de Morsier syndrome – is a subtype of ONH and results from underdevelopment of the optic nerve, pituitary gland dysfunction, and absence of the septum pellucidum, which is a midline area of the brain. SOD arises from defects during the embryological development of infants and studies show that ONH maybe be related to gene defects as well as embryo exposure to infections.

In addition to the lack of vision which a characteristic symptom of ONH, SOD also triggers other symptoms such as pituitary deficiency, autistic behaviors, epileptic seizures and more.

Few conventional treatment options are available for patients diagnosed with ONH-SOD, which mostly focus on helping the patients to cope with their disability. However, none of them are actually treating the loss of optic nerve function. Stem cells have the ability to regenerate nerve cells in the optic nerve, allowing ONH-SOD patients to gain some vision.