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Implant for artificial vision nears clinical trial
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A computer chip linked to a minicomputer camera mounted onto a pair of glasses may eventually offer limited “sight” to blind people, according to one of its developers. Human trials of this device will begin within the year, said Gislin Dagnelie, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Dagnelie said the camera transmits images to the chip, which translates them into impulses the brain can interpret, according to a BBC News report. Dr. Dagnelie described his work with the device at a Royal National Institute for the Blind conference in London, the BBC said.
The images may not be crystal clear, he said, but they may allow someone who is blind to recognize faces.
“The retinal implant contains tiny electrodes. If you stimulate a single electrode, the person will see a single dot of light,” he told BBC.
An implant with a handful of electrodes has previously been tested, Dr. Dagnelie said, but the device should eventually include up to 100 electrodes.