VISION-DESTROYING ILLNESSES
There are a range of conditions – some which are picked up due to the ageing process and others that may be inherited – that can cause sight deterioration. Bionic eyes work by ‘filling in the blanks’ between what the retina perceives and how this is processed in the brain’s visual cortex. That breakdown occurs in conditions that impact the retina, so it’s largely these conditions that bionic eyes could help treat. One such disease is retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involves a breakdown and loss of cells in that part of the eye. Another condition is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that can blur someone’s central vision. This condition occurs when ageing causes damage to the macula, the part of the eye that controls sharp straight-ahead vision.