The Hindu : Front Page : The blind shall now see

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Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
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The blind shall now see

Ian Sample and Rachel Williams

Camera’s electronic signal gives brain a view of objects

Device enables patients to walk about independently
More patients to be treated soon

London: Surgeons have fitted “bionic eyes” to two men in their 50s to partially restore their eyesight. They are among 15 patients who have been given the artificial retinas as part of a three-year trial in the U.S., Mexico and Europe.

The two men are the first in Britain to have the artificial retinas fitted. These were done in three-hour surgical procedures at Moorfields Eye hospital in London, it was confirmed on Monday. Both were completely blind, but will now be able to walk around unaided and identify simple objects.

If the trial is successful, the £15,000 (about Rs. 12 lakh) retinas could be approved for general use within three years.

The men have an inherited disease, retinitis pigmentosa, which progressively destroys the eye’s light-sensitive cells, and affects tens of thousands of people around the world.

The procedure implanted a tiny metal plate studded with electrodes into the retina at the back of the eye. A little video camera mounted on a pair of glasses beams images to the electrodes, which connect via the optic nerve to the brain. Patients wear a small unit at their waist to power the camera and process the images.

While not reproducing natural vision, the system enables the viewing of basic images on a 10 x 6 grid.

“These people are truly blind and are dependent on a stick, a dog or another person to find their way around. We want to see if we can give them some level of rudimentary vision which they find useful, predominantly to navigate, so they get some independence,” said Lyndon da Cruz, a consultant surgeon who did the procedures last week.

Moorfields expects to treat three more patients soon, and a further five if there are no complications. The device is designed by a U.S. company, Second Sight, and is an upgrade of a protype first implanted in 2002 with 16 electrodes arranged in a 4 x 4 grid, enabling patients to walk about independently and distinguish basic objects such a cup or plate on a table. The latest version has 60 electrodes, giving much more detail.

Doctors expect it will take the men a few months to learn to use the system.

Greg Cosendai, Second Sight’s director for Europe, said: “They should receive enough information to be able to read. That doesn’t mean it [definitely] will work for them, but it’s certainly a milestone, along with recognising faces.” — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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