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Bionic Eye Implant May Give Sight To The Blind

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Bionic Eye Implant May Give Sight to Blind

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 22nd 2008 at 3:14PM

 

Retinitis pigmentosa is a debilitating genetic condition indicating severe retina deterioration. Those affected by it with suffer from reduced vision or, in many cases, total blindness. There is no known cure, so a diagnosis (often made during childhood) usually means inevitable loss of vision years or even decades later. That may be changing, though, with a prototype eye implant that may provide some level of sight to those with little or none.

 

The implant is a small panel that is implanted on the patient's retina. The panel contains a number of electrodes that, when activated, stimulate the remaining nerves on the person's retina. There may not be enough nerves left for normal sight but, when paired with this sensor, some level of vision can be returned. The sensor communicates wirelessly with a camera built into a pair of glasses.

 

Thus far, only two patients have received the device and the researchers behind it aren't talking about how they're progressing, but you can be sure there are many, many people eagerly awaiting the results. [source: BBC]

The beginnings of the "Visor" perhaps?

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I watched a program a while back that features a woman who had gone blind long ago. She had a camera that she wore on a pair of glasses that connected to sockets implanted into the sides of her head, which connect directly into her visual cortex. All she can see now is flashes of light when something moves, but as time goes by and doctors are able to calibrate the implant better, she'll be able to start seeing more. We are the Borg, apparently.

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