Setting Sights on Bionics 
From: PC Magazine - January 2005 - page 26
By: Karen Jones  

As the scientific community is just beginning to explore integrating bionic
devices into humans, companies at the forefront have released some remarkable
test results. With FDA approval, Optobionics has completed a series of
clinical trials involving implanting a 2-milimeter silicon chip inside the
eye in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye disease
with no cure. Test results have shown dramatic visual restoration. 

Dr. Alan Chow, chief operating officer of Optobionics, says that RP patients
lose their sight gradually and progress to the point where they see only
shadows or no light at all. The chip contains 5,000 microphotodiodes, each
with an electrode. When light enters the eye, the chip produces tiny electric
charges that "concentrate on the electrodes, which stimulate the retina
cells," says Dr. Chow. "The intention was to produce a pixelated image
similar to a computer display to replace the function of the degenerated
photo receptors." Not only have test patients begun to see light again, but
retinas are functioning again. Their perception of color, resolution, and
contrast are returning. 

Patients confirm that it is like "turning back the clock 10 to 20 years,"
says Dr. Chow. He hopes his microchip will also be able to treat other
conditions causing loss of vision such as age-related macular degeneration
(AMD). Today, AMD and RP affect around 30 million people worldwide. 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1744588,00.asp

Links:
http://www.optobionics.com/
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