RESTORING SIGHT IN BLIND PATIENTS

Millions of Americans are losing their eyesight because of macular degeneration—the deterioration of the macula, the central area of the retina. When healthy, the light-sensitive cells in this paper-thin tissue at the back of the eye send visual signals to the brain. But damage to the macula causes blind spots and blurred or distorted vision.

With federal funding, researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine are developing an artificial retinal implant that holds out the promise of restoring sight in blind patients with macular degeneration and other eye diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa.

The Model 1 device is a test device that has been implanted in 6 patients blind from retinitis pigmentosa. This device measures 4 by 45 millimeters and is studded with 16 electrodes. Incoming images stimulate the electrodes and they, in turn, stimulate the patient’s remaining retinal cells. The information travels via the optic nerve to the vision centers of the brain to create an image, with the result that, once again, the patients can begin to see certain aspects of the world around them.

The project currently receives most of its funding from the Department of Energy. The National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health are also funding the project. For millions of Americans, this research offers the hope that they will see again.

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