First Bionic Eye Gives Limited Vision to the Blind

On Valentine’s day, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first treatment that can restore (limited) eyesight to (some) blind people. This means that the first “bionic eye” will come to the American market next year! This milestone device allows users to see “crosswalks on the street, the presence of people or cars, and sometimes even large numbers or letters.”

The treatment involves sheets of electrodes implanted behind the eye, glasses with an attached camera and a video processer. With this system, the device bypasses the damaged retina and transmits images directly to the brain. According to the company which produces the implants, they could also be beneficial for elderly people with bad eyesight.

For the rest of us, we’ll just wait for implants that improve our “normal” vision.

Via IEEE Spectrum