Patient Gets Vision Restored After Receiving Two Retinal Implants

Terry Byland, a USC Eye Institute patient, just earned the distinction of being the first person to have received two retinal implants. The results from his surgery leaves others suffering from the same condition optimistic about the device being used in future procedures.

More…

I can’t go there at the moment. But the latest review of the research leads me to say……that probably depends a lot on your definition of “vision”. It most certainly won’t be what you and I have. Nor will it be for a long time.

the story

Terry Byland, a USC Eye Institute patient, just earned the distinction of being the first person to have received two retinal implants. The results from his surgery leaves others suffering from the same condition optimistic about the device being used in future procedures. Byland, who was diagnosed with Retinitis pigmentosa, experienced gradual loss of sight and eventually lost vision at the age of 45. He joined clinical trials for the first prosthesis, Argus 1, which led to his right eye getting a 16-electrode retinal prosthesis in 2004. By 2015, Byland’s left eye was implanted with the 60-electrode Argus II. “Once the Argus II was activated, I was immediately able to see what it took the original device more than two years to let me see,” said Byland in an article published in PR Newswire. The Argus II uses a small video camera attached to a pair of eyeglasses, where the images taken go through a video processing unit to become wirelessly transmitted electronic signals, which works with the artificial retina. The receiver then sends these signals to the retina that travels through the optic nerve to the brain, which can now be interpreted as a visual image.

This latest advancement helps patients restore some visual capabilities, including recognizing large letters and locating the position of objects. It also gives hope to around a hundred thousand people in America who suffer from the degenerative disease. The Argus II uses software that can be upgraded as more advancements in the field are discovered. This means that further innovations in image processing technology can be introduced into existing devices through a simple upgrade.

the picture

A recently published, open access paper outlining the state of play. It is somewhat technical, but not overly difficult, I think. It covers an overview of the retina in health, the multiple cell types and how it degenerates. Then it outlines the types of prostheses presently in research and outcomes of human trials ( perceptual results, functional tasks, psychophysics, temporal fidelity, brightness, contrast sensitivity and field of view). It then covers the response of the retina to electrical stimulation and encoding visual information.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cxo.12342/abstract

“CONCLUSION The restoration of sight to those suffering from degenerative visual loss is challenging. Through the work of those pursuing the development of microelectronic retinal prostheses, prosthetic vision has progressed well beyond the rudimentary stages fathered by Brindley and Lewin in the late 1960s. Clinical evaluation in blind human subjects has demonstrated improvements in spatial localisation, object or character recognition, motion detection and mobility. Even so, the vison afforded by those devices available today is rudimentary at best and there is much that needs to be done. With the continuing increase in our knowledge and understanding of the retina, its diseases and its response to electrical stimulation, improvement in the quality of prosthetic vision and thus, the quality of life of implant recipients, looks set to continue.”

If you want detail, here it is.

:)