Bionic Eye Giving Sight to the Blind

Written by: Anon.Dos

It seems like something coming out of a science fiction Hollywood movie being able to store sight to the blind, and so is the case with Larry Hester. For almost thirty – three years Larry lived in the darkness. His vision was gone because of a disease that destroyed his photo – receptors in his retinas. But thanks to his new bionic eye he can see the new world around him.

Hester is one of those patients that have been operated with this FDA approved device. Doctors are saying that they do expect that Hester might be able to walk around a bit more independently, see doorways.  They also said that they do not expect him to figure out pictures on television sets or computers, but they are happy to know that Hester can now visually connect to the world.

When we asked Hester what he thinks about his new bionic eye he said that it is a bit hard to figure out things right now because it is a bit difficult to make out things. But hopefully after some practice he will be able to see and understand things better.

The bionic eye is designed in such a way that it is directly connected to the retina cells that create the image. These cells are directly connected to the optic nerve.

Argus is the name of the “bionic eye” basically it is designed in a way that a camera is fixed on to a set of glasses or spectacles that visualises the object that it is being pointed at. The image is then transmitted to chip that is implanted in to the retina. .

These signs are sent to a cluster of embedded electrodes that stimulate retinal cells, creating light in the persistent field of view. The methodology meets expectations for people with retinitis pigmentosa on the grounds that the disease only the light-sensing photoreceptors, leaving the retinal cells solid.

In this way, the bionic eye can restore limited vision. Patients can see and recognize basic objects, see individuals before them, and follow after their movement. They can discover doors and windows, follow patterns, and in the best cases read big print gradually.

Getting this gadget to market is an essential accomplishment, says Eberhart Zrenner, chief of the Institute for Ophthalmic Research from University of Tubingen in Germany. Then again, the kind of vision the bionic eye can give with sixty electrodes is very constrained.

Zrenner is creating a gadget for Retinal Implants that has more than fifteen thousand electrodes and catches pictures utilizing light-sensitive photodiodes on the chip inside the eye, rather than with an outer camera. This new device will have light-delicate photodiodes that will be situated under the retina comfortable spot of the deteriorated photoreceptors and in this way no camera would be required to mount on glasses.

Argus has been tested in trials involving numerous patients. Greenberg says that what they have done is something that numerous individuals would have thought and did think was unimaginable.

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Sources:

http://www.trueactivist.com/bionic-eye-gives-blind-man-the-gift-of-sight/

http://themindunleashed.org/2014/10/blind-man-sees-33-years-thanks-bionic-eye-implant.html

http://www.extremetech.com/tag/bionic-eye

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140923-im-blind-but-i-have-bionic-eyes