The first ever FDA approved bionic eye will hit the U. S. shelves in a few weeks.
In February, the FDA certified the bionic eye by Sight II, also called the Argus II, which helps in restoring vision lost due to degenerative eye diseases. The eye ware is specially meant for people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa. Retinitis pigmentosa is a disease that slowly leads to the deformation of the retina cells, in particular the photoreceptor cells. These cells located behind the eyeball are primarily responsible for viewing objects and conveying the image to nerve signals, which send them to the brain.
The bionic eye isn't a complete remedy for blind people. It will restore partial vision allowing people to make out moving objects around them. "This new technology would help 100,000 people and could really improve their quality of life," said Dr. Robert Cykiert, a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at New York University's Langone Medical Center, reports CBS news. "They won't be able to read fine print, but they'll be seeing well enough to possibly walk down the street, avoid bumping into lamp posts and cars, and possibly even cross the street."
The bionic eye primarily consists of a miniature video camera, a transmitter, eyeglasses, a video processing unit (VPU) and an implanted artificial retina. The eyeglasses come with the video camera that captures the images and coverts them in to electrical pulses. These pulses further pass through the video processing unit on the glass and finally get transmitted to the inserted artificial retina, comprising of several electrodes. The electrodes in turn convert these images into the form that the brain can easily read and the patient gets to see the objects.
Vanderbilt University will be the first ever to offer the bionic eye for late stage RP patients. "We are excited to be chosen as one of the centers nationwide to provide this remarkable innovation to our patients," said Paul Sternberg Jr., chairperson of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Director of the Vanderbilt Eye Institute," reports the newsmedicalnet. "To date, there has been no proven, effective treatment in preventing this disease or slowing it down. For patients who are blind, the ability to regain some vision, functionality and independence is astonishing."
According to the government estimates, about one in every 4000 in the U.S. suffer from retinitis pigmentosa. The eye ware developers revealed that about 100 people are expected to get the artificial eyesight sometime this year. The eye ware is expected to retail at $145,000 and is covered by Medicare.
