The “world first” bionic eye prototype had successfully implanted by an Australian scientists. This is great news especially for people who are visually impaired.
This great achievement was done by Bionic Vision Australia (BVA). The eye had surgically implanted in a women called Dianne Ashworth who lost her vision as a result of a hereditary disease called degenerative retinitis pigmentosa.
The term bionic eye described as a tiny machine containing 24 electrodes works by sending electrical impulses to the brain, like the normal eye.
“The outcome was unpredictable, a little flash was the first thing I could see” as reported by Dianne Ashworth, “Different stimulation means different shapes appear”.
World First was the simple description given by Penny Allen who is the Australian surgeon who implanted the bionic lens.
In order to follow up how the brain and the eye built the image, multiple studies were conducted in the lab many years before this surgery.
The device is connected to a “vision processor” so the doctor can see exactly what Ashworth’s sees depending on different types of stimulation.
Using things with constant size, shape, location and brightness, Dr. Allen try to explore how images were interpreted by the brain.
The number of the electrode determines the objects that the patient can see. The team is working on devices with more electrodes thus more objects to see.
High-acuity devices allow the patient to see faces and read large print. This technique is applicable for patients with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.
According to the team, “The device meets our expectations, and is a great motivate to us to achieve further development in vision field of vision especially the implantation of the full devices”.
Source. — Yahoo News
