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Bionic Eye Implant May Give Sight to Blind

by Tim Stevens on April 22, 2008 at 03:14 PM

Electronic Eye Implant May Give Sight to BlindRetinitis 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]

Tags: bionic, breaking news, BreakingNews, health tech, HealthTech, medicine

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