A Bioengineered Cornea Shows It Can Improve People’s Sight
Vision, Scholarly ArticleResearchers at Linköping University (LiU) and LinkoCare Life Sciences AB have developed a cornea implant from the collagen protein of pig skin. In a pilot study, the implant restored vision to 20 people with diseased corneas, most of whom were blind prior to receiving the implant. The new implant could be a viable alternative to human cornea transplantation. Read more about Bioengineered Cornea.
A New Device for Early Diagnosis of Degenerative Eye Disorders
Vision, NewsResearchers at an EPFL lab have developed an ophthalmological device that can be used to diagnose some degenerative eye disorders long before the onset of the first symptoms. In early clinical trials, the prototype was shown to produce images with a sufficient degree of precision in just five seconds. Read more about new device used to diagnose some degenerative eye disorders
EU Project Combines Optics, Nanotechnology to Restore Vision
Vision, NewsHyVIS, an EU-funded initiative targeting degenerative eye disease has launched, with the aim of the four-year project to develop a way to restore sight in people with diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, by restoring the photoreceptors’ sensitivity to light through a hybrid synapse. The HyVIS research team will develop a retinal neuroprosthesis that will re-create synaptic connections in the retina. The technology will exploit residual neuronal functionality in the diseased retina to form hybrid synapses made from nanodevices and the retinal neurons that are no longer connected to the photoreceptors. Read more about HyVIS.
Study on Bionic Vision Technology Paves the Way Towards Human Trials
Vision, NewsThe Phoenix99 Bionic Eye is an implantable system designed to restore a form of vision in persons who are blind. The device’s two main components which need to be implanted consist of a stimulator attached to the eye and a communication module positioned under the skin behind the ear. Sheep trials showed that the body accepted both these elements and furthermore healed around them. The team is now applying for ethics approval to perform clinical trials in human patients. Phoenix99 Bionic Eye Trials.
Scientists Create Brain Implant that Enables Identification of Letters
Vision, NewsA group of researchers in Spain collaborated with scientists at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, US, to use a microelectrode array to help a blind person perceive letters and shapes. The implant, which is about the size of a penny, bypasses the optic nerve and instead provides stimulation to the brain’s visual cortex. By the end of the study, the participant could identify several letters. Although the device is in the early stages of clinical development, the first experiment in a human participant was successful. The results now appear in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Read more via Medical News Today.
Visual Percepts Evoked with an Intracortical Microelectrode Array
Vision, Scholarly ArticleResearchers in Spain created a visual prosthesis for end users who are blind to perceive shapes and letters. The team's end user collaborator, Berna Gomez, has experienced blindness for the last 16 years. The implanted visual prosthesis system utilizes the Utah electrode array, which is much smaller than a penny, to create electrical stimulation in Gomez's visual cortex. Read more in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
New Neural Brain Implant Developed by Russian Specialists to Bypass the Eye in Communication with the Brain
Vision, NewsRussian specialists at the ‘Sensor-Tekh’ laboratory and the Foundation For the Support of the Deaf and Blind have developed the first Russian neural brain implant that will bypass the user's eye in direct communication with the brain for transmission of objects in 3D space. Read more via Russia Beyond.
Researchers at the University of Southern California Create a Bionic Eye
Vision, NewsResearchers have created a bionic eye, Argus II, that is a microscopic supercomputer implanted into the eyes of persons with vision loss and helps recognize shapes and patterns. Read more via The Hill.
G3ict NeuroAbilities Interview Series | Episode 2 with Theresa Vaughan and Mike May
Vision, VideoTheresa Vaughan (Research Scientist at the NCAN and Chair of the NeuroAbilities Advisory Council) interviews Mike May (Sendero Founder/Olympian) on the advances of technology, development of Accessible Wayfinding tools and various accessible GPS products. Watch the interview on YouTube.
Man Receives Vision-restoring Retinal Implant at UIC
Vision, VideoRobert Selby talks about his experience as he becomes the first person from Missouri to receive Argus II, and one of about 60 people in the U.S. with an Argus II. Watch the video via UIC Media.