Artificial Retinas To Give Sight To The Blind

by Socrates

5 Comments

Image credit: Nano Retina

Around 30 million people worldwide have age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - one of the leading causes of blindness in middle-aged and older adults. Researchers are investigating a number of ways that could potentially treat or completely cure AMD and its consequent blindness.

Creating artificial retinas to replace and/or restore function in the damaged ones is just one of the more promising ones. Here are a few videos detailing different teams and their respective products currently being developed with the goal of restoring sight to the blind.

Bio-retina could be boon for the blind

An Israeli company called Nano Retina has developed an artificial retina to restore sight to millions blinded by retinal disease. Called Bio-Retina, the implant mimics the function of the natural retina when age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or diseases like Retinosis Pigmentosa take hold.

Original story by Tara Cleary for Reuters:

Nano Retina is developing an ultra small, easy to implant, artificial retina designed to restore sight. The device is called Bio-Retina and in essence it is a bionic retina designed to restore sight to those suffering from retinal degenerative diseases. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy are among the causes of degenerative blindness.

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Retinal prosthesis a potential boon for the blind

Researchers at Stanford University in California are developing a retinal prosthesis system they hope will one day give millions of blind people the ability to see again. The system has proved successful with rats but is designed ultimately for sufferers of degenerative retinal diseases like Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Original story by Ben Gruber for Reuters:

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Tagged as: artificial retina, bio-retina, nano retina, retinal prosthesis

  • Lu Lu

    Now we can restore (or give) sight to the blind. Remind me of the Australian company BionicVision. In the near future, I foresee eye-augments that allow people to percieve not just vision but also the other four senses.
    Auditory through seeing (and understanding) vibrations in the air.
    Olfactory through seeing the hues (or even the molecules themselves) of chemicals in air.
    Taste through some combination of olfactory and touch.
    Touch through seeing the minuscule bumps on solid surfaces.
    Similar augmentations to the receptors of the other 4 senses should allow similar sense-completion to be done on these other receptors as well.

  • have2say

    how could it help glaucoma blindness, where the optic nerves are damaged?

  • http://www.singularityweblog.com/ Socrates

    I am not sure friend, but my guess is that it might skip the nerve by connecting straight into the brain’s optical center…

  • have2say

    if you know of anything regarding help for glaucoma sufferers, could you please post here again? thanks v much

  • http://www.singularityweblog.com/ Socrates

    Unfortunately I don’t know anything specifically about glaucoma treatments friend.