Biological eyes bring light to the blind

Dr. Kristina Narfstrom, an eye specialist at Missouri-Columbia University (USA), placed silicon chips in the eyes of cats that were almost blinded by a form of macular degeneration.

(Photo: muhealth.org) These chips are 2mm in diameter. The surface of each chip contains 5,000 tiny photodiodes that react with light, transmitting electrical signals through the optic nerve to the brain.

"We have put the chips behind the eyes, where receptor cells are broken to replace them. These chips allow you to see light pulses instead of images," explained Narfstrom.

Dr. Narfstrom claims that these chips not only inhibit the development of the disease, but also help regenerate the light-sensing cells in the eye that are damaged by the generation of electrical currents. These chips have yielded encouraging results in clinical trials conducted in about 30 people.

Studies are currently underway in animals to allow researchers to improve these implants, as well as help train surgeons on ophthalmic transplantation techniques as well as the cat's eye structure. same as in humans.

Dr. Narfstrom hopes these studies will allow replacement of the damaged retina in humans. She said it would take another two years for the chips to develop whether the retina cells of paired cats would develop.

(Photo: muhealth.org)