The Incredible Impact of Artificial Retina

 

Artificial Retina

One in 3,000 people are blind due to one of these hereditary diseases, called retinitis pigmentosa, and could potentially benefit from artificial retinas. Majority of the Inhabitants who are blind are relying on a guide dog or walking sticks to go around. However, after an Artificial retina implanted into the eyes, can now help them to be able to feel the pavement and curbs when outside.

Researches aims to create a sophisticated Artificial Retina an electronic implant that will restore eyesight to those who have lost it due to an irreversible retinal condition. The goal is to develop a special device that can closely resemble typical retinal function through the creative integration of basic and applied research. The goal is to create high-fidelity artificial vision by accurately reproducing the retinal code at the cellular level with cell-type specificity.

Light reflected from an object enters the eye of a person who can see, and retinal photoreceptor cells in the retina detect this light. Photoreceptors encode visual information, which the retina decodes and transmits to the brain as spikes in retinal output neurons. The information from retinal spike trains is subsequently assembled by visual centers in the brain, including the visual cortex, to create a conscious sense of the image and a variety of visual behaviors.

The implant is powered by a wireless computer and a video camera in glasses. Camera images are processed by the computer and converted into electronic signals that are sent to the implant as visual information. The mechanism activates the retina's still-healthy cells, which prompts them to transmit information to the optic nerve. The visual information is subsequently transmitted to the brain, where it is converted into light patterns that can resemble the outline of an object. Patients must be taught how to decipher the light bursts; for example, they might interpret three bright dots as the triangle's three points.

In fact, the Artificial Retina implant is only meant for people with specific types of inherited retina problems who still possess some functional cells. The optic nerve must be functioning and they must have previously been able to see. Only a few people have received the artificial retina since 2002, and some patients have seen well enough to identify objects, shapes, or even read large print. Despite being years away from having a marketable product, researchers are working on another artificial retina implant that transmits images to the eye via pulses of infrared light. It's quite amazing how far we've come from having no treatment options for blindness to being able to partially restore sight.