Electronic retinas are being improved
Implantation of electronic chips restored sight to two blind Britons
ABC Magazine based on BBC materials: Two blind British men have electronic retinas fittedAfter the first operation in the history of the UK to implant ophthalmic electronic chips, two Britons who had been completely blind for many years partially regained their sight.
Their eyes are now able to distinguish between light and shadows – for those who have lived in complete darkness for decades, this is a huge progress. The implants were performed at the Oxford Eye Hospital and the King's College Hospital in London as part of a clinical trial.
Patients Chris James and Robin Millar lost their vision as a result of retinal pigmented degeneration. In this state, retinal photoreceptor cells gradually cease to perform their functions.
During the operation, patients were implanted with thin electronic chips measuring 3 mm2, containing 1.5 thousand photosensitive photodiodes that replace the work of rods and cones.
(A year ago, the "electronic retina" of 1x1 mm, carrying only 60 pixels – VM, was considered a great achievement.)
The chips are placed behind the retina, and a thin cable departs from them, which connects to a control device hidden under the skin behind the ear. When light enters the eye, it stimulates photodiodes, as a result of which electronic signals are sent along the optic nerve to the brain. With the help of a control device, the sensitivity of the chips can be changed depending on the intensity of illumination.
"When I opened my eyes for the first time after surgery, I saw the light for the first time in 10 years," says Chris James from Wiltshire. – I can already distinguish the outlines of objects that are close, but those that are far away are still difficult for me to see. My brain will have to relearn how to see and interpret the signals coming from the chips. I am a fan of auto racing, so I dream of learning to distinguish the silhouettes of cars speeding along the race track. I think I'll be able to do it soon." Microchips were supposed to be able to restore only black-and-white vision to patients, but the second patient, Mr. Millar, said that for the first time in 25 years, color vision returned to him.
The author of the study, surgeon, Professor Robert MacLaren, says: "These are the first patients whose vision has partially recovered after many years of complete blindness. Previous studies of vision restoration using stem cells and other techniques usually involved patients who had at least some residual vision." He also stressed that unlike a similar German-Hungarian study in 2010, when as a result of the same operation, the patient was able to distinguish letters, the British implants are compact and portable, and the patient from Finland could read only in laboratory conditions.
The implants were developed by the German company Retina Implant AG. According to Professor McLaren, they are not yet considered as a full-fledged treatment for blindness, but are only part of a clinical trial. "This is only the first step on a long and difficult road," says the professor. As part of this work, similar chips will be implanted in 12 more blind Britons.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru05.05.2012