Giving sight to the blind…is it a miracle or a reality? New technologies in light-powered retinal prosthesis could make it a reality. While they are only in development at Stanford University in California, the studies look promising so far. These new prostheses work like miniature solar panels and turn light into electrical nerve impulses. The system consists of a camera- and microprocessor-equipped pair of goggles, and a small photovoltaic chip that is implanted beneath the retina. There is also a miniature LCD screen on the inside of the goggles. It emits pulses of infrared laser light that correspond to the image it is displaying. This should give sight to the blind, but only those with a certain type of blindnes
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Age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa are two of the leading causes of blindness in North America. Luckily, these are the types of blindness that can hopefully be cured with the new contacts in development at Stanford. This is because the retinal neurons were still present, they were just generally inactive. The chip that enters your retina is smaller than a pencil point, thinner than a human hair, and contains hundreds of photoiodides. Unfortunately, the vision provided isn’t color and it would still be far from normal. The scientists are looking for sponsors for human trials now, and they hope it will provide a new outlook on life for those crippled by blindness.