The following is a summary.
For people with retinitis pigmentosa — a rare genetic disease that damages cells in the back of the eye — the world becomes increasingly blurry until they see nothing at all. A new bionic eye could partially restore sight to people with this eye condition, the Wall Street Journal reports, and it may soon gain FDA approval.
The Argus II device, developed by Second Sight, uses a video camera, mounted on a pair of glasses, to collect visual information. It translates the visual information into an electrical signal that stimulates the dead retinal cells at the back of the eye. The retinal cells signal to the brain, and the brain interprets the information into a picture.
“The technology tested to date lets the wearer primarily see in black and white,” writes WSJ. “It is most useful for seeing sharp contrasts, such as the painted white line of a crosswalk on a dark road. But scientists hope that they can improve the detail to eventually enable color vision in its wearers.”
Read the full article here: The Quest to Create a Bionic Eye Gets Clearer
Additional Resources:
- “Next Gen Digital Sight Could Cure Blindness,” Popular Mechanics
