Australian scientists begin human tests on 'bionic eye'

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2006

SYDNEY (AFP) — Australian researchers developing a "bionic eye" say early tests have succeeded in stimulating limited visual sensation in people suffering a rare form of genetic blindness. Scientists from the Bionic Eye Foundation at Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital have launched human clinical trials of the device, which employs the same technology now routinely used in cochlear implants to restore hearing.

Professor Minas Coroneo said the trials involved placing small electrodes on the surface of the eye then using an electric current to stimulate the retina, the thin layer of cells in the back of the eye that respond to light. Coroneo said a video camera attached to a pair of glasses was used to pick up images and transfer them to the electrodes via a computer. The...