Bionic eye implants let Canadian patients perceive light

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Tuesday, October 14, 2014 12:13PM EDT Last Updated Tuesday, October 14, 2014 6:03PM EDT

For the first time ever in Canada, two patients with severely impaired vision have received bionic eyes that will not restore their sight, but will allow them to once again perceive light.

Doctors at Toronto Western Hospital say the two patients have retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disease in which the retina progressively becomes so damaged that most, if not all, vision is lost.

The bionic eye is known officially as the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Device, and has two parts: The patient is outfitted with a pair of glasses with a built-in video camera, while a prosthesis the size of a pencil eraser is surgically implanted onto the retina.

Information from the camera is wirelessly transmitted to electrodes in the implant and converted to electrical pulses. These electrical pulses are turned into images, which are transmitted to the brain, Toronto Westerns Dr. Robert Devenyi explained to CTV News.

The patient must undergo intensive rehabilitation to learn how to process these images, he said.

The device stimulates the retina the same way that light normally does, just electronically, Devenyi said.

It really allows us to give vision to people who have no vision, and have no options for any type of rehabilitation, Devenyi told CTV.

One of the Canadian patients is Orly Shamir, who had some residual vision as a child, but for the past dozen or so years could not see anything.

After surgery and recovery, its like going back to childhood, Shamir told CTV News Channel Tuesday afternoon.

See the original post here:
Bionic eye implants let Canadian patients perceive light