Artificial Retina Project 
From: Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer
Far West Bulletin - Winter 2002 Issue

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) engineers are developing a
microelectrode array for a multi-laboratory DOE project to construct an
artificial retina or "epiretinal prosthesis." The three-year DOE project
brings together national labs, universities and a private company, with Oak
Ridge serving as the lead laboratory.  

An epiretinal prosthesis could restore vision to millions of people suffering
from eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration or those
who are legally blind due to the loss of photoreceptor function. In many
cases, the neural cells to which the photoreceptors are connected remain
functional.  

Project leader Dr. Mark Humayun, of the University of Southern California,
has shown that electrical stimulation of the viable retinal cells can result
in visual perception. These findings have sparked a worldwide effort to
develop a retinal prosthesis device. 

Caption: LLNL's polymer-based microelectrode array

Read the entire story at:
http://www.zyn.com/flcfw/fwnews/fwarch/fw022a.htm

Other link:
http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/novpr/pr02248.htm