The breakthrough in blindness

For the first time in medical history, scientists have restored part of their vision to blind patients by implanting tiny microchips into the retina.

Image for illustrative purposes. (Internet source)

The University of Tuebingen (Germany) doctors have just announced the outstanding success in the field of implantable devices to bring light to those who are genetically blind, namely retinitis pigmentosa. The characteristics of the disease are gradual degeneration, leading to the destruction of the retinal light cells of the retina, mainly cone and rod cells. At first, the patient has lost or lost sight at night, eventually blinded. One in 4,000 people has this disease in the world, according to Discovery News.

For more than 7 years, experts have made electronic transplants into the retina, then wired to small external cameras. The device works to capture light and send images as electronic signals through the processing unit to the coupling device. Next, the coupling device will load the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain.

This method is quite complicated, requiring patients to be specially trained but not highly effective. After 15 years of research, scientists have unveiled a new device that replaces rods and cones that have degenerated in the retina. The main part of the device is a micro-chip with a size of 3x3 mm but contains 1,500 light sensors, transmits images with a resolution of 1,500 pixels through an electronic signal network to the brain. Unlike the original type, the new device is implanted under the retina, while the patient is required to wear glasses.

There were 11 patients - blind for 2 to 15 years - participating in the trial. After chip assembly, five of them were finally able to recognize and determine the direction of light or bright white objects. The last group of 3 was implanted in the gold spot, where the sharpest vision was available, the object was visible within a week after surgery. In particular, a patient can read the clock, distinguish seven shades of gray, find and distinguish apples and bananas, combine letters and consonants into meaningful words.

With initial success, this method promises to make drastic changes to the lives of about 200,000 people who suffer from blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa.