‘Bionic’ eye success in sight
German-made microchip could help partially restore the vision of certain blind people.
Published On 3 Nov 2010
Bionic eyes were once thought to be the creation of science fiction, but now doctors in Germany have developed a computer chip that could help restore the sight of hundreds of thousands of blind people.
Retinal implants are able to partially restore the vision of people with particular forms of blindness caused by diseases such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa.
About 200,000 people worldwide have retinitis pigmentosa, and one in 10 people over the age of 55 have age-related macular degeneration.
The experimental chip has been tested on three men with astonishing results.
Al Jazeera’s Tania Page reports.
Source: Al Jazeera