You've probably heard of
bionic arms and bionic legs, but a bionic eye? The technology seems
like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, but it's not as
farfetched as you think; just ask Ron, a recipient of a bionic eye
system who made the news in 2009. He lost his sight more than three
decades ago as a result of retinitis, inflammation of the retina.
Then, he became the platform for testing a new bionic eye system at
the time: the Argus II.
The system is no cure for
retinitis; once the retina is inflamed, you lose your vision for good
(although some feasible treatments are entering their clinical
phase). However, the Argus II serves as a second retina; a camera
mounted in a pair of glasses transmits images to a chip implanted in
the retinal area. This bionic eye basically works like a security
camera, giving the blind eye a chance to see again. For Ron, the
system clearly changed his life; after more than 30 years, he could
finally see once more.
The technology is set to
improve at this point, not just with bionic eyes and optical implants
but also in terms of treatment. Doctors and scientists are on the
verge of finding a solution to blindness that affects thousands
around the world. Eye doctors want to get in front of the crusade
against the loss of vision, sharing the honor of letting the blind
see again.
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