Bionic Eyes, By Jordan Sibberas

The bionic eye was designed to address retinitis pigmentosa, the cause of blindness in over 1.5 million in the world.

Retinitis pigmentosa occurs when the photoreceptors in the retinas are damaged, meaning the retina is no longer capable

of receiving information to send the brain. The photoreceptors are cells which are in the retina, and convert the light they receive into electric signals to be sent to the

brain.

WHAT PROBLEMS DOES IT ADDRESS?

Healthy Eye Retinitis Pigmentosa

The bionic eye was also designed to treat Age-Related Muscular Degeneration (AMD), the cause of 50% of all blindness in Australia. AMD occurs as the muscle of the

retina ages and stops converting light to electromagnetic signals, thus the brain is not able to make a picture.

WHAT PROBLEMS DOES IT ADDRESS?

The Bionic Eye is a camera system which is attached via a transmitter and a microchip to the retina. The chip receives an

image from the camera and converts it to electromagnetic signals in the chip. The chip contains electrodes which stimulates the retina to

create phosphenes, which are artificial flashes of light, which the retina perceives as light.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The retina then processes these signals like normal light signals and sends an image to the brain. However, until the technology is

developed further, the image received is not highly detailed. The more electrodes the chip contains, the more detailed the image is. For instance, the first bionic eye contained 98 electrodes, and the newest one, being developed by Bionic Vision Australia, contains

1024.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

EXAMPLE

The retina then processes these signals like normal light signals and sends an image to the brain. However, until the technology is developed further, the image received is not highly detailed. The image on the left shows a 98-electrode eye, and what its user sees. On the right is a more detailed

eye.

WHAT DOES THE BIONIC EYE SEE?

The nervous system is a series of electrical signals that the brain uses to control all of the body. The eye is connects to this system by sending electrical signals to the brain, which

correspond with the light the retina absorbs. Signals are then sent down the optic nerve, until they reach the optic tract. Here, the left and right fields of vision of both eyes join up, and continue on their way. The nerves then enter the visual

cortex of the brain, where the image is interpreted.

HOW IT LINKS TO THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

•The bionic eye cannot give sight to those born blind as they have never used their optic comprehension skills and are

unable to turn the low-resolution phosphenes into images. •The Bionic eye requires a working optic nerve to send the

phosphenes to the brain. •The image sent to the brain is low-resolution, and takes

some time to get used to. It is not a substitution for vision yet however, and other aides may be required when the user is in

unfamiliar locations.

LIMITATIONS

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE

Australian woman, Diane Ashworth, has been the first person in the world to receive Bionic vision. In late August 2012,

she was fitted with a 24-electrode device, allowing her partial vision. "All of a sudden I could see a little flash ... it was

amazing," she said in a statement. "Every time there was stimulation there was a different shape that appeared in front

of my eye."

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE

Scientists say the main goal of the operation was to familiarize themselves with the process with a simple device, and are now looking to collect data from their patients. Diane will not be able to achieve independence yet, but researchers hope the data can eventually lead to independence in blind

people.

After collecting data from the first implant, scientists hope to start implanting ‘high acuity’ devices, which contain

anywhere up to 1294 electrodes, and are highly detailed. The main goal for the future of bionic vision is to restore mobility, and thus freedom, to the blind. However, it’s the end goal to restore full vision, and maybe even improve it, in all people,

making blindness a thing of the past.

THE FUTURE

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_prosthesis•http://www.bionicvision.org.au/

•http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3179190.htm•http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/sri/bionic_eye.htm•http://www.thirdeyehealth.com/bionic-eye.html•http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?

storyId=113968653

BIBLIOGRAPHY