Bionic Eye

A new surgically implanted prosthesis has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration that restores at least limited vision to patients with severe to profound retinitis pigmentosa, even in cases where there is little or no light perception in both eyes. In these individuals, where the photoreceptors no longer function, the device – known as Argus II – bypasses the damaged receptors and transmits signals directly to the optic nerve, where they are transferred to the brain.

A video camera mounted on a pair of eyeglasses receives images and sends them to a video processing unit. The processed information is transmitted wirelessly to an electrode array implanted at the back of the eye. The optic nerve then “sees” them as gray scale pictures. The system provides adequate resolution for the wearer to visualize lines in a crosswalk or read letters about an inch tall. Future trials are planned to assess the effectiveness of the system for treatment of macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 60 years of age.