‘ Bionic eye’ gave me Back my sight
AMANDA BRADBURY talks to one of the first patients in the world to trial a cutting- edge retinal implant procedure which could offer a ‘ cure’ for blindness
kEITH HAYMAN lost his sight at the age of 31. The dad of two from Fleetwood, Lancashire, had been struggling with his vision since his early 20s but when he could no longer read the scales in the shop where he worked as a butcher, he finally sought medical advice. Keith, now 67, was diagnosed with the eye disease retinitis pigmentosa ( RP) and told there was no treatment or cure.
“I wasn’t shocked as I think I already knew in my heart,” says Keith, whose older brother David already had the condition. “It got worse quite quickly and I had to give up work. I was depressed about that for some time – even the world’s best eye experts could not do anything about it. My vision went so all I could see, even in daytime, was shadowy shapes. Then – and it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when – I lost all sight. I’d have my eyes open but it was as if it was dark.”
RP is a hereditary disease affecting 10,000 people in the UK. It gradually destroys the cells of the retina, the light- sensitive layer at the back of the eye.
But Keith’s life changed dramatically six years ago when he heard about a ground- breaking trial taking place at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital run by consultant ophthalmologist Professor Paulo Stanga. After being accepted for the trial, Keith, who is married to Sandra, 66, and who has two children – Alun, 43, and Karen, 41 – became one of the first patients in the world to have a tiny microchip implanted inside one of his eyes to restore his vision.
The implant, called the Argus II, works by converting video images captured by a miniature digital camera on specially- designed glasses into a series of tiny electrical pulses. These are sent wirelessly to electrodes in a tiny chip, smaller and slimmer than a little fingernail, implanted on the surface of the retina. Over the following months and years, the brain learns to interpret these pulses that create patterns of light as visual pictures in the brain. There is also a computer processor box, about the size of a mobile phone, which is connected by a wire to the glasses and used to turn them on and off.
Now the doctors behind the technology say the trial has proved so successful that they hope it will soon be rolled out across the country, funded by the NHS. The team is also assessing whether the same microchip can be used to help those with age- related macular degeneration ( AMD), the most common cause of sight loss that affects 500,000 people in Britain. Four AMD patients are currently trialling the implant.
Keith, who says he felt “excited and lucky” to be given the chance to regain some vision, found it took two weeks after the four- hour operation before he noticed any changes.
“I went to a bonfire night party with my grandchildren,” he says. “When they let off the fireworks I could see the flashing lights and big fireworks going off in the night sky. It was the first thing I had seen for years. It was a new world and it was wonderful. I shed a few tears that day.”
What Keith actually “sees” is a series of flashes and over time has learnt to discern what the shapes in front of him are. “It’s a bit like lots of lightning flashes momentarily revealing outlines and shapes,” he explains.
“Over the years it’s got better as adjustments have been made to my glasses and the camera, and they’ve improved the computer. My brain has also become better at working out what lights and shapes are.”
tHE aim of the trial was not only to ascertain whether the technology would actually work but how well it would be tolerated inside the eye. It meant that as advances were made the special camera glasses could be adjusted or upgraded. Keith has had several adjustments and upgrades since his original operation, each time improving what he can see.
“I still can’t read or see faces but I can see any solid object that contrasts with its background. For instance I could tell if it was a person or a dog walking into a room, but I might not know who that
person was at first. Usually there has to be a colour contrast, such as a white car on a dark street, to make it easier to make out.”
He adds: “I can get around the kitchen by myself now. I see plates on the tables and cups on the tables and I can even tell a knife from a fork. I can see where my cup is now, so I don’t knock over drinks like I always used to do.”
He says the Argus II implant has had a huge impact on his quality of life. “Having this implant is like the difference between sitting in the dark and having the light on for me. Because I can recognise there are people around me, I can talk with them – before I was totally isolated. It’s really opened my world again.”
Professor Stanga’s team is working on adding facial recognition software to the computer so that Keith would be able to recognise his wife in a crowded room. They are also working on it being able to identify colours.
“This is a truly ground- breaking treatment for blind patients that has taken 20 years of research costing £ 200million,” says Professor Stanga. “Thanks to patients such as Keith, the Argus II system is out of its trial phase and is now commercialised and available for patients with RP.”
To date, only 10 Britons out of a total of 180 patients worldwide have had the procedure. The surgery, available at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, costs about £ 100,000 including long- term rehabilitation, and is paid for by health services in Germany, Italy, France and the USA among others.
“We hope the NHS will soon follow other European governments in realising what a massive boost it can be to people with RP,” adds Professor Stanga.
But for Keith, who has fi ve grandchildren, Kyle, 22, Katy, 21, Keeley, 11, Chloe, 10, and six- year- old Callum, the greatest benefi t has been knowing that future generations could benefi t from the technology.
“None of the younger generation in my family have RP – but it’s a possibility as it’s a hereditary condition,” he says. “It means everything to me to know that they won’t have to live a life totally blind as I did for so many years. It’s an absolutely wonderful invention.”