Argus II retinal implant hopes to gives sight to the blind
Mikey 3 commentsSurgeons in England have performed the first surgery of its kind using a 'bionic eye' that is hoped will help restore blind people sight in the future. The device uses a video camera/transmitter combination mounted on a pair of glasses. This is "linked to an artificial retina, which transmits moving images along the optic nerve to the brain and enables the patient to discriminate rudimentary images of motion, light and dark".
Truly outstanding stuff.
Gina Squitieri
Friday 25th April 2008 | 12:52 PMI wish you could see that lady's eyeball on my Mac. The image is spectacular.
It makes me wonder how blind people will "view" the world around them once their physical sight is (can't call it REstored, considering some are born blind) so I'll call it "stored." Seriously, though, that some fascinating technology we got goin on there. Makes me wonder what else the government's hiding from us. I'm not kidding.
I'm staggeringly delighted by this news, cos it gives me hope. I'm not afraid of anything much - dying's a fact of living, old age, loss of dignity, loss of self, they all happen as a fact of living long enough. But losing my sight is something that really, truly frightens me. And as a stunningly obese diabetic, it's entirely likely. I don't suggest for a second I'd be a good candidate for this kind of surgery, because I'm also huuuugely squeamish about things going in my eye, but I'd love to think I was alive in the generation when we conquered the fear of blindness as a permanent and debilitating condition.
Jake
Thursday 24th April 2008 | 07:27 AMThat is incredibly innovational, and seemingly pretty simple!