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THE
EYE CHIP OR RETINA CHIP
Research
to develop a retinal implant that could bring vision back to some of the
six million Americans who suffer from retinal
degenerative diseaseshas
been supported primarily by NSF.
Such research is a few years away from implementation in humans, and the
likely results will be to restore only some vision.
Complete sight or near-perfect sight restoration with this technique is
many years away.
Artificial vision
Researchers are trying to produce an
artificial vision system that can electronically capture and transmit
images to the brain
to create sight.The
eye chip picks up images from an array of photosensors and translates
them into electrical signals sent to nerve cells in the retina.
The eye chip would consist of a computerized miniature video camera mounted
on a pair of glasses, anda
computer chip would be surgically implanted in the eye.The
camera would transmit the image to the computer chip, which would be connected
to tissue in the back of the eye, or the retina, to then be transmitted
to the brain.
This project has been ongoing for more than 10 years. Researchers are
a few years from permanently implanting an eye chip in a blind person.
Research has allowed patients who had not seen light in eye tests to see
light and to make out some shapes and sizes, suggesting remaining neurons
in the eye can be artificially activated.
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