Bionic eye implant lets a man see again, just partially for now

Suffering with what is termed as degenerative genetic disease, 51-year-old Peter Lane had been blinded for over two decades. But now becoming the first person to be implanted with a bionic eye at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Lane can see partially.

bionic eye implant man sees

The bionic eye that Lane has been implanted with is actually an electronic receiver which takes electronic signals of the captured images from a camera fixed to a special pair of glasses which he wears. These images are converted into electronic signals by a video processor worn by him on the belt, and are then passed to an electrode panel embedded in the retina from where the pulse travels to the brain via the optic nerve, to let him see faintly.

bionic eye working

For now, as a part of the worldwide trial of the technology developed by American company Second Sight to help treat patients with retinitis pigmentosa, Lane can only see outline of objects, like doorways, furniture, cars etc, and can read small words through a series of dots and lights on a special small screen. But he believes, with the doctors making provision to install a special projector and screen at his home, he may be able to read his own mail for the first time in years.

Via: DailyMail