Courtesy William West, AFP/Getty Images
It may not be as high-tech as Jordy’s visor in Star Trek but a research group in Australia has created a ‘bionic’ eye that can restore partial vision to those with degenerative vision loss.
It consists of a miniature camera, mounted on glasses, that captures images and sends them to a processor the wearer keeps in their pocket.
The processor then transmits a signal wirelessly to a unit implanted in the eye which will directly stimulate surviving neurons in the retina, signalling an image to the brain.
Those using the bionic eye will not have perfect vision restored, but it is hoped they will be able to perceive points of light in their field of vision which the brain can then reconstruct into an image.
Sounds like an amazing new health technology, can’t wait to hear more on this. [Canwest]
