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Bionic eye implant holds hope for millions of blind
A tiny electrical implant that attaches to the retina may someday restore partial sight to millions of patients blinded by age-related macular degeneration, US researchers said.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:00 February 17, 2007
San Francisco: A tiny electrical implant that attaches to the retina may someday restore partial sight to millions of patients blinded by age-related macular degeneration, US researchers said.
The device, in the early stages of human clinical testing, is part of a new class of so-called "smart" prostheses that link with the brain and nervous system to restore function lost to disease or injury, the researchers told reporters at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco.
Similar electrical stimulation devices known as cochlear implants have been used to treat deafness, and scientists are developing others to restore bladder control and movement to patients with spinal cord injury. The artificial retina is designed to take the place of cells in the brain that are charged with capturing and processing light.
Due in market
"We anticipate this technology will help blind patients who have lost their sight through macular degeneration," said Dr Mark Humayun, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southern California. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in older adults in the developed world, affecting nearly 30 million people.
Humayun and his colleagues have teamed up with privately held Second Sight Medical Products to develop the implant, which just won clearance from US regulators to test a second-generation device in a US clinical trial.
An early version of the device implanted in six patients fared far better than its makers expected, allowing people who had been blinded for years to distinguish between simple objects such as a cup, a plate and a knife.
The device consists of a tiny camera mounted on a pair of glasses that transmits information to the implant, which is attached to the outside of the eyeball with a cable running to the retina. Patients wear a transmitter on their belt, which powers the device.
The trial will enrol 50 to 75 patients in five US centres, who will be followed for two years. If it proves successful, Humayun said the retina could be in the US market within two years.
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