Bionic Eye Implant Restores Sight To Blind

Chris James is currently regaining his sight after he became the first British patient to have a new computer chip surgically implanted at the back of his eye.

The 54-year-old Brit suffers from retinitis pigmentosa.  The genetic disease, which destroys the retina over time, is currently the focus of a clinical trial being in which twelve patients will undergo the new sight restoration treatment.

German company Retina Implant AG designed the computer chip, which is similar to those found in cellular phone cameras, in order to assist the human body with the conversion of light passing through the eye into electrical impulses, which the brain can then interpret as images.

While James can only discern outlines of objects when peering at them from a close distance, doctors expect that as his brain adapts to the new sensory information, he will eventually be capable of recognizing faces.

Robin Millar, a 60-year-old music teacher who also now has a bionic eye, indicated to BBC that he now has the ability to detect light passing through windows in addition to his first color dreams in 25 years.  One of the doctors leading the trial, Professor Robert MacLaren, was quoted by BBC having said:

“It’s the first time that British patients who were completely blind have been able to see something.”

NY Daily News indicated that James was quoted by Sky News having said:

“This isn’t a cure, but it might put the world into some perspective and some imagery for me, rather than just a black world.”

Can you imagine losing your sight, only to regain your vision after receiving a bionic eye?