Article from The Hindu: The blind shall now see

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Camera's electronic signal gives brain a view of objects. Device enables

patients to walk about independently. More patients to be treated soon

 

London: Surgeons have fitted bionic eyes to two men in their 50s to partially

restore their eyesight. They are among 15 patients who have been given the

artificial retinas as part of a three-year trial in the U.S., Mexico and Europe.

 

The two men are the first in Britain to have the artificial retinas fitted.

These were done in three-hour surgical procedures at Moorfields Eye hospital in

London, it was confirmed on Monday. Both were completely blind, but will now be

able to walk around unaided and identify simple objects.

 

If the trial is successful, the & #163;15,000 (about Rs. 12 lakh) retinas could

be approved for general use within three years. The men have an inherited

disease, retinitis pigmentosa, which progressively destroys the eye & #8217;s

light-sensitive cells, and affects tens of thousands of people around the world.

 

The procedure implanted a tiny metal plate studded with electrodes into the

retina at the back of the eye. A little video camera mounted on a pair of

glasses beams images to the electrodes, which connect via the optic nerve to the

brain. Patients wear a small unit at their waist to power the camera and process

the images.

 

While not reproducing natural vision, the system enables the viewing of basic

images on a 10 x 6 grid. These people are truly blind and are dependent on a

stick, a dog or another person to find their way around. We want to see if we

can give them some level of rudimentary vision which they find useful,

predominantly to navigate, so they get some independence, & #8221; said Lyndon da

Cruz, a consultant surgeon who did the procedures last week.

 

Moorfields expects to treat three more patients soon, and a further five if

there are no complications. The device is designed by a U.S. company, Second

Sight, and is an upgrade of a protype first implanted in 2002 with 16 electrodes

arranged in a 4 x 4 grid, enabling patients to walk about independently and

distinguish basic objects such a cup or plate on a table. The latest version has

60 electrodes, giving much more detail.

 

Doctors expect it will take the men a few months to learn to use the system.

Greg Cosendai, Second Sights director for Europe, said: They should receive

enough information to be able to read. That doesnt mean it [definitely] will

work for them, but its certainly a milestone, along with recognising faces.