FDA Approves Artificial Retina
Posted on February 16, 2013
The FDA has approved an artificial retina that could restore sight to many people. The device is called the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System.
CBS News talked to Dr. Robert Cykiert, an opthamologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, about how the device works. He said the device enables people to see well enough to walk down the street. He says it can return some sight to people who suffer from severe retinitis pigmentosa, which affects about 100,000 people in the U.S. People wear special glasses with a video camera that sends electronic messages into a device implanted in the eye and onto the brain. Dr. Cykiert said the technology could eventually be improved so that it helps people suffering from other types of blindness, such as macular degeneration.
Here's a video about the artificial bionic eye from the National Science Foundation. Take a look: