Bionic eye has become a reality
A BIONIC eye developed by Australian researchers has restored a sense of vision in four blind people and has moved out of the laboratory and can be used at home.
One of the 900 ideas generated by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s 2020 Summit, the bionic eye has become a reality two years ahead of schedule.
Four patients in Melbourne have been able to recognise objects on bench and table tops, and navigate obstacle courses using the device but it is not powerful enough yet to allow them to read.
Developed by Bionic Vision Technologies, the bionic eye consists of a microchip and electrodes implanted into the back of the eye that are linked to glasses that have a small video camera mounted on the side. It is operated by a processing unit the size of a large smartphone that can be clipped to the person’s belt or worn on a lanyard.
The live feed from the camera is processed and transmitted via the implanted microchip to the electrodes at the back of the eye that stimulate cells in the retina, to generate spots of light that give a patient a sense of vision.
The device is designed to help the 8000 Australians who have lost their sight due to the degenerative genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa.
This condition affects 1.5 million people worldwide, and is the most common cause of inherited blindness.
Lead researcher Penny Allen will today reveal the latest results of the clinical trials to the annual Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Scientific meeting in Adelaide.
“These patients are only just able to see light going on and off and have to learn to interpret that information from the device and require training to do that,” Associate Professor Allen said.
“Before the device was implanted these patients were unable to see a hand held in front of them and they required a guide dog or stick when walking. Now they can walk unaided in their backyard, identify doorways and objects on a table.”
In the same way that patients fitted with cochlear hearing implants improve their hearing over time, Prof Allen hopes the capability of bionic eye patients will also improve.
In theory, brain plasticity, the ability of the brain to retrain itself, should allow patients using the device to improve their vision the longer they used the device, she said.
Retina Australia chairman Leighton Boyd said he thought the development was “sensational”.
The grandfather of five suffers retinitis pigmentosa and is totally blind and said the breakthrough gave him hope he may be able to see the faces of his family members again.
The device is expected to cost about $150,000 when it finally hits the market.