Wireless eyes for the blind

Numerous people across the world suffer from various eye diseases that can also lead to loss of vision. However, thanks to technology, a solution for this is on its way.

E.J.Chichilnisky from Stanford University is planning to take retinal implants to another level by creating a device that can revolutionize the way electronic devices interface with brain.

While talking to Futurism, Chichilnisky said, “Vision is like an orchestra trying to play a symphony. It depends on having [the right signals] at the right time and right place. If you instruct all the instruments to play indiscriminately, someone will hear you. But it’s not music.”

He and his team plans on surgically implanting the smart prostheses into the patient’s eye, which will have the ability to be powered wirelessly, most likely from a pair of specialized glasses that would be worn by the patient.

However, this process is not as simple as it seems. To get the accurate signal in the accurate time is difficult because the cells vary between individuals and can also change over time.

If the device is successfully made, it can not only put the signals at the right time but also, read the retina while creating a consistent image as a result. “It’s a dialogue with the retina—you have to talk back and forth to the circuit.”

The device should however, be constructed from the right material in order to help it stay on retina for longer time durations without causing any harm. They plan on bringing all of this into a small implanted chip.

Chichilnisky expressed, “We have to take everything we know and program it effectively into chip that can sense its environment, figure out what’s going on, and do the right thing at right time in the right place, always. And it has to be smart enough to talk to a neural circuit. It’s a tall order.”

The exact design of the device is still not ready and Chichilnisky expects to have a model in upcoming years with tests on live animals within the next five years. Currently, various techniques are being tested on the removed retinas of animals.

With higher hopes, Chichilnisky says, “It’s going to happen. If you think it won’t, you haven’t been reading enough. The thing I’m talking about is a revolution.”