Researchers have been working on innovative ways to cure blindness to make lives of people better who are suffering from it. And even though there have been multiple ways of overcoming this problem, they¡¯ve not been the most effective. However, researchers might have something that could truly work.
Researchers at the University of Miguel Hernandez have developed a way to cure blindness with the help of an implant that bypasses the retina and instead goes straight to the brain.?
Created by Eduardo Fernandez, who¡¯s the director of neuro-engineering at the aforementioned university, the approach to tackling blindness using implants that connect to the visual cortex of the brain.
The setup involves a pair of glasses fitted with a camera that connects to a computer. The computer translates the camera¡¯s live video feed into electronic signals.?
The signals are then sent using a cable through a port that has been surgically embedded in the back of the patient's skull which connects to an implant in the visual cortex of the patient¡¯s brain.
He tested this on one Bernadette Gomez but for only six months as that's how long he was permitted to have the implant installed. The process was complicated with the implant to be attached and removed from the brain -- a tricky task to boot. But after installation, the implant did help Bernadette see after 15 years -- although not in the way you might be thinking.
The implant in the brain allowed for it to see images sharper than glowing dots that allowed her to recognize letters, ceiling lights as well as people. Moreover it also allowed her to play a makeshift version of the classic Pacman.
Eduardo had initially tested this on animals, but they couldn't really describe the experience like a human. He said in a statement to MIT Tech,¡°Berna was our first patient, but over the next couple of years we will install implants in five more blind people.¡±