Blind people regain sense of sight with Aussie bionic eye

A revolutionary bionic eye developed by Australian researchers has restored a sense of vision in several blind people and can now be used at home.

EXCLUSIVE

A bionic eye developed by Australian researchers has restored a sense of vision in four blind people and has moved out of the laboratory and can now be used at home.

One of the 900 futuristic ideas generated by former prime minster Kevin Rudd’s 2020 Summit, the bionic eye has become a reality two years ahead of schedule.

Four patients in Melbourne have been able to recognise objects on bench and table tops and navigate obstacle courses using the device but it is not powerful enough yet to allow them to read.

Developed by Bionic Vision Technologies, the bionic eye consists of a microchip and electrodes implanted into the back of the eye which are linked to glasses that have a small video camera mounted on the side.

It is operated by a processing unit the size of a large smartphone that can be clipped to the person’s belt or worn on a lanyard around their neck.

The live feed from the camera is processed and transmitted via the implanted microchip to the electrodes at the back of the eye which stimulate cells in the retina, to generate spots of light that give a patient a sense of vision.

The bionic eye consists of a microchip and electrodes implanted into the back of the eye which are linked to glasses that have a small video camera mounted on the side.

The device is designed to help the 8,000 Australians who have lost their sight due to the degenerative genetic condition called Retinisis Pigmentosa.

This condition affects 1.5 million people worldwide, and is the most common cause of inherited blindness.

Lead researcher Associate Professor Penny Allen will reveal the latest results of the clinical trials on the device to the annual Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Scientific meeting in Adelaide.

“These patients are only just able to see light going on and off and have to learn to interpret that information from the device and require training to do that,” she says.

Before the device was implanted these patients were unable to see a hand held in front of them and they required a guide dog or stick when walking.

Now they can walk unaided in their backyard, identify doorways and objects on a table.

In the same way that patients fitted with cochlear hearing implants improve their hearing over time Professor Allen hopes the capability of bionic eye patients will also improve.

In theory brain plasticity, the ability of the brain to retrain itself, should allow patients using the device to improve their vision the longer they use the device, she says.

Chair of Retina Australia Leighton Boyd said he thought the development was “sensational.”

The grandfather of five suffers from Retinisis Pigmentosa and is totally blind and says the breakthrough has given him hope he may be able to see the faces of his family members again.

“I’ve got five grandchildren and I thought initially I wouldn’t be able to walk my daughter down the aisle and see the faces of my grandchildren and this device could give you that chance,” Mr Boyd said.

“One of the things the device does is give us the chance of independence, if you are at a restaurant and need to go to the bathroom you can do it without someone having to go with you.

“It has certainly given me hope.”

Associate Professor Penny Allen will reveal the latest results of the clinical trials.

US company Second Sight is already marketing a similar bionic eye device and two other research teams in Australia are working on other forms of a bionic eye.

“We believe the Australian bionic eye being tested has advantages over international competitors, including a superior surgical approach, stability of the device and unique vision processing software that aims to improve the patient’s experience,” Professor Allen says

Monash Vision Group at Sydney University is working on another device directly implanted into the brain that could be useful for patients who have damaged or lost their eyes or who have a damaged optic nerve.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney are developing another bionic eye with similarities to BVT.

The BVT project received $40 million from the Federal Government and a further $1 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The device is expected to cost around $150,000 when it finally hits the market.

Originally published as Blind people regain sense of sight with Aussie bionic eye