Tuesday, February 26, 2008

MyVisionTest.com is rich resource; News about Swiss bionic eye implant

I just learned about a web site, which I want to share with you. It is of value as a rich visual impairment/blindness resource.


MyVisionTest.com
Is a web site that is useful for both its initial offering of a supplemental Amsler grid for patients who have been instructed by their eye doctor to monitor their vision at home, as well as for the wealth of news regarding vision, blindness, and on-going research relating to these subjects.

I’m finding news articles here related to blindness that I’ve not found elsewhere. I’m definitely bookmarking this site!

One interesting news story I found on the site was that
A patient in Switzerland has received a bionic eye implant.

The patient in the article received an Argus II implant, which will remain in place for approximately three years.
The device uses technology, which was only being inaugurated when I wrote a research paper for an undergrad writing class several years ago. It involves a camera mounted on a pair of eyeglasses that takes in the images, and then sends them to a processor on a belt clip, which then sends them back to the eyeglasses where a receiver sends them to electrodes for subsequent processing in the brain.

Projections are that future recipients will enjoy increased refinements in technology as well in their vision beyond the shape, object, and place recognition currently available.


This event was news to me, as I’ve been aware of the research being done, but not that any of these implants had actually been performed. Not only has this been done in Switzerland, but also the article notes there have already been ten other similar procedures done globally.

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