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bionic eye implant

05.08.2015

Two years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of an invention by Second Sight, a California-based bionic eye called the Argus II. In Europe, the eye, which took $200 million to develop, was approved for use in 2011 (Recall that in ancient Greek mythology, Argus was a many-eyed giant and vigilant guardian).

The system was originally designed to treat retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited degenerative eye disease that causes severe visual impairment and often blindness. It consists of a miniature video camera installed in glasses, which is connected wirelessly to a receiver and an array of microelectrodes implanted in the patient's retina. The matrix, which covers a 20-degree viewing angle, stimulates the living cells of the retina with electrical impulses that reach the brain through the optic nerve. Although normal vision is not restored, patients can learn to interpret these signals and even recognize colors, capital letters, and objects.

This year, Second Sight began testing the Argus II device for a completely different disease - dry macular degeneration, in which, unlike retinitis pigmentosa, central vision is impaired. Five patients are to participate in the trials. The first among them was an 80-year-old Englishman who was implanted with the device in early July as a result of an operation led by University of Manchester professor Paulo Stanga.

After a four-hour operation, the patient was able to identify vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines on a computer screen using a bionic eye. In addition, two weeks after the operation, the patient began to recognize the outlines of objects and people quite effectively.

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