'Bionic Eye' Could Help Blind See

How close are we to a future where a “bionic eye” provides sight for the blind? One company is moving toward that goal — today.

Second Sight, maker of Argus II, an artificial retina that can restore limited vision to those who are partially or completely blind from retinitis pigmentosa, has been given the green light from the Food and Drug Administration for a study on a new device. Dubbed Orion, it would bypass the eye and deliver electrical impulses to electrodes placed on the visual cortex of the brain — the part of the brain that interprets vision.

The Argus II system relies on a video camera mounted to glasses, which sends image data to a processor that is worn on a belt. That processor converts the data into electrical signals that are forwarded to a computer chip implanted near the eye’s retina.

The data is then received by electrodes that stimulate the retina — essentially doing the work of the light-sensing cells that have degenerated from retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that kills those types of cells in the retina.

The technology is still in its infancy — “sight” is confined to colorless, shadowy images but it can provide blind patients with enough vision acuity to sense outlines of images.

Second Sight has taken the Argus II technology to a new level with Orion. Based on the existing Argus II platform, data will proceed along the same path but Orion bypasses the eye — sending impulses instead to the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes vision. Orion works by bridging the gap between outside light stimuli and the optic nerve.

The result is “functional vision”— think fuzzy black and white TV— but the prospects are exciting. And it’s not without risks — an operation on the skull is necessary to implant the electrodes — but the payoff is potentially huge as the system could help with many forms of blindness, not just retinitis pigmentosa.

Dr. Robert Greenberg, board chairman for Second Sight, says both devices represent the fulfillment of his life’s dream. “I grew up watching ‘The Six Million Dollar Man,’ TV show, and I’ve always thought, Could you enhance normal vision? And I think the answer is yes. We are right now restoring partial vision— life-changing for the blind,” Greenberg said of his innovative technology.

There is solid evidence to call out for the process. Pacemakers and cochlear implants also use electrodes to interface with the body — the catalyst for Second Sight’s vision. “We got our inspiration from cochlear implant that restore hearing to deaf patients; a microphone transmits signals to a processor,” Greenberg told Newsmax. “But there is no fully integrated system, one that replaces ear parts. And there is not such a system for the eye . . . yet. It’s just a miniaturization question. That’s why we need the glasses that we use in the Argus and Orion projects."

Both of Second Sight's systems are fully programmable, an added plus for further research. "For now, it’s advantageous to have an external system that we can upgrade," said Greenberg. "But we are advancing toward a full integrated unit. Certainly superhuman vision is something for the future. But even today, we took an infrared camera and because the Argus is programmable, we programmed it in, and with a completely blind patient, he was able to ‘see’ in the dark.

"Anything that was warm — people, animals, pots warm from cooking, a patient could see the infrared signature. It’s an intriguing concept we want to explore. The device is upgradable, just like your phone, and we can update the software.”

But the company makes no bones about its endgame. “The goal is to eliminate blindness. We are on our way: The whole idea behind the Orion project is to target patients who are blind from diseases other than retinal diseases, like retinitis pigmentosa. There are many forms of blindness that damage the optic nerve. The Orion bypasses the optic nerve, and directly stimulates the visual part of the brain,” Greenberg told Newsmax. “This treats essentially all forms of blindness.”

Greenberg said he envisions a world where the bionic eye will be a reality. “We don’t have our bionic man ‘Steve Austin’ yet — but you can see that in our future. We are on the cusp of eliminating blindness.”