The Bionic Eye (Light Powered)
I
have decided to use visual prosthesis, or the bionic eye, as my subject for this
blog. Visual prosthesis is an experimental visual device that people will hope
restore vision to the visually impaired. There are several forms of this device
existing today, but I decided to focus on just one. The specific bionic eye I
will be talking about is the one powered by light.
Scientists
at Stanford University in California are creating at retinal implant powered by
light. Using a special pair of glasses that take in infrared light directly
into the eye, scientists hope to give sight back to people who can’t see at
all. The glasses are installed with a video camera that records what the
patient is looking at and fires beams of infrared light on to the retinal chip.
There is a chip behind the retina and a battery fitted behind the ear. Compared
to other bionic eyes, there are hardly any wires present. This particular
bionic eye is wireless.
No
human testing has been conducted with this device; however, scientists are
testing these devices on mice. Scientists use an infrared laser on the rats that
were implanted with the bionic eye. The infrared light being taken is weak
enough to where it doesn’t do any harm. Scientists are hopeful that it will
work on humans someday.
I
think it is amazing that people are working on a device that can cure
blindness. The only thing I am worried about is the level of light being taken
in. I hope they are doing a lot of testing to make sure that it isn’t just one
level of infrared light being transmitted into the chip. If something were to
happen to the chip if too much light was taken in, that would be a problem and
do more damage than it is worth. I am confident that scientists are taking
every precaution available before them being human testing.
Resources,
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