November 8, 2010 
Fantastic bionic eyes allow blind people to finally see with the help of a microchip. Men and women involved in the experiment for the first time saw someone’s smile and the world around them and were able to walk without a guide dog...
During the experimental testing bionic eyes successfully restored sight to the blind. Tiny microchip implanted in the back of the eye allowed men and women who thought they would never see, to recognize clock pointers and identify objects around them.
One man for the first time saw his girlfriend, while the other one managed to read his own name. It is believed that the invention could help some people who are blind from birth.
See a video
Experts say that the sub-retinal implants could revolutionize treatment of the blind just as the artificial implant has changed the lives of the deaf (some deaf people were enabled to partially hear).
The new invention would first benefit those with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a hereditary disease that gradually destroys the retina at the back of the eye leading to complete and so far incurable blindness.
With time, the bionic eye could be used for the treatment of age related degenerations of the eye, the most common cause of blindness in the elderly.
Bionic eye is the invention of a German company Retina Implant AG, and it contains a very small microchip – 3mm X 3mm – where 1500 light sensors are located to compensate for those lost in the retina.
Retinal implantDr. Eberhart Zrenner, founder of the Retina Implants says that one patient for the first time saw his girlfriend, the other one saw a sunflower in the garden, while one of them was thrilled watching the insects on the grass. In addition to the mobility, by acquiring vision patients got the pleasure of seeing small things.
While this is not the first attempt of implantation of bionic eyes for the blind, in the previous cases the patient was loaded with a large number of connections, such as cameras on the black glasses.
“The level of returned vision is rudimentary, but we are talking about people who were totally blind and now see well enough to walk around without the help of a guide dog,” said dr. Eberhart Zrenner.
Price of these devices ranges 20 000-45 000 GBP per pair, with which the blind will get a trained guide dog.
However, the bionic eye cannot help all the blind, and it will need an additional adjustment to become massively available, maybe in a few years time, explained the company’s Retina Implants.
Taken from: www.net.hr