Australian scientists on track to deliver direct-to-brain bionic eye implant21 June 2012Electrical engineers from the Monash Vision Group at Melbourne’s Monash University have developed an implantable microchip that is a key element of a bionic eye. Encouraging laboratory results have put the scientists on track to deliver a direct-to-brain bionic eye implant, which could enable up to 85 per cent of people who are clinically blind to see. Testing on patients is expected to begin within two years. Project Director, Professor Arthur Lowery, says: “Many people who suffer from blindness or are vision impaired have damaged optical nerves, which prevent signals reaching the brain. The new research by-passes these optical nerves and aims to restore a sense of sight by transmitting wireless signals directly to an implant in the brain.” The Monash Vision Group’s direct-to-brain bionic eye combines state-of-the-art digital and biomedical technology. Patients wear spectacles incorporating a discrete high-resolution camera that serves as a retina and carry a pocket-sized digital processing unit to extract useful information from the image that stimulates the brain via several hundred electrodes. The Monash Vision Group is a collaboration between Monash University, Alfred Health, MiniFAB and Grey Innovation. The project is funded through the Australian Government’s ARC Research in Bionic Vision Science and Technology Initiative. More information |