Summary
US scientists have designed an artificial eye that will give a limited degree of sight to the blind. The eye contains a computer chip linked to a miniature video camera mounted on a pair of glasses. The camera's images are transmitted to the chip, which converts them into signals that the retinal nerve can understand.
Human trials of the eye will begin within a year. Although the sight provided by the eye is very limited, with between 50 and 100 pixels, the designers believe this will be sufficient to permit blind users to make their way through a building or avoid obstacles.
Original source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4411591.stm
Details
US scientists have designed a bionic eye to allow blind people to see again.
It comprises a computer chip that sits in the back of the individual's eye, linked up to a mini video camera built into glasses that they wear.
Images captured by the camera are beamed to the chip, which translates them into impulses that the brain can interpret.
Professor Dagnelie unveiled details at a Royal National Institute for the Blind conference in London, UK, on Monday.
Human trials will begin within a year, hopes Professor Dagnelie.
Although the images produced by the artificial eye were far from perfect, they could be clear enough to allow someone who is otherwise blind to recognise faces, he said.
The breakthrough is likely to benefit patients with the most common cause of blindness, macular degeneration, which affects 500,000 people in the UK.
This occurs when there is damage to the macula, which is in the central part of the retina where light is focussed and changed into nerve signals in the middle of the brain.
The implant bypasses the diseased cells in the retina and stimulates the remaining viable cells.
They have already tested implants containing a handful of electrodes, but the end device will contain 50-100 to give a better overall picture.
"To us, the images look very basic but for someone who was previously blind they are a massive step forward."
But he added: "There is still quite a bit of work that will be needed to fine tune it.
He said training the individual to learn how to interpret the blurry images should help.
Anita Lifestone of the RNIB, said: "This is a revolutionary piece of technology and really has the potential to change people's lives.
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Thursday, April 14, 2005
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