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Your Eyes March/April 2008

Bionic Retina To End Blindness

The age of bionics has arrived.  These manmade devices are put into the body to generate electrical pulses to nerves and muscles for the treatment of disabling conditions.  A newly developed bionic retina may restore eyesight in people blinded by degenerative eye disease and grant vision to children born blind.  The device, which s placed on top of the retina, i about one-third the size of a contact lens.  It consists of a silver of silicone and platinum and is studded with 16 electrodes.  

The bionic implant electrically stimulates remaining healthy retinal cells, which pass on the visual information to the brain through the optic nerve.  It can be used by patients to detect light or, in some cases, to distinguish between separate objects.  It is especially designed to help people suffering from eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration, the leading causes of blindness in the elderly.

Eventually, the bionic retina might be used like a cochlear implant that restores hearing in children that are born deaf.  These inserts contain electrodes positioned in the inner ear or cochlea.

Dr. Tom Smith
Drs. Smith and Smith
592 N. Main St.
McKenzie, TN 38201
731-352-2020
or toll free 1-877-710-2020