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Ophthalmologists, Physicists Design Bionic Eye

Posted by timothy on from the who-needs-eyes dept.

InfallibleLies writes "For the first time ever, those who have been blind since birth will have a chance to see the world. It's still in the early stages, but this is a giant leap forward in medical science." From the linked BBC article: "U.S scientists have designed a bionic eye to allow blind people to see again. It comprises a computer chip that sits in the back of the individual's eye, linked up to a mini video camera built into glasses that they wear. Images captured by the camera are beamed to the chip, which translates them into impulses that the brain can interpret."

4 of 344 comments (clear)

  1. Nonvisible wavelenghts? by bird603568 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Would it be possible to make it "see" infared. Then it would translated it to false color? It would be like the first upgrade in Rouge angent.

  2. From birth? by puppyfox · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not so sure that people bling from birth will benefit from any such device. That part of their brain is not even developed, you can't just "plug in" some video feed and expect them to see, do you?

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    1. Re:From birth? by puppyfox · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Fact is, the brain keeps developing after the baby is born, so even if you're perfectly normal but blindfolded (or in the dark) for you first few years, you won't be able to ever see "normally". Same goes for some other complex brain functions, like using language. One of those funny facts that stick with you from college classes :)

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  3. hmmm. by sugapablo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So how long before upgrades make this "bionic eye" significantly better than a human eye?

    Will we reach a point where attaching this bionic eye becomes an elective surgery where someone wants to simply improve their eyesight beyond 20/20; beyond what a mere "human" can see?

    Breast inlargements, designer babies, bionic implants....where is it all going?

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