Eye implant restores vision to blind patients

TWO blind men could see again after being given electronic eye implants in the first successful trial in the United Kingdom (UK).The first British clinical trial of an electronic eye implant has restored limited vision to two blind patients and brought hope to thousands with incurable sight loss.The implant, which replicates the natural method by which the eye processes light and sends messages to the brain, enabled the patients to distinguish black from white and see the rough outlines of objects.Doctors said the patients, who have an inherited form of blindness called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), had regained 'useful vision' just weeks after having a light-sensitive microchip inserted into the back of their eye.The implant, which replicates the natural method by which the eye processes light and sends messages to the brain, enabled the patients to distinguish black from white and see the rough outlines of objects.Because the brain has to 'relearn' how to see after years of total blindness, it is hoped that the patients' vision could continue to improve further as they continue to use the chip.The technology can still be refined further and in future could be used to improve the sight of people with less severe retinal conditions such as macular degeneration, which affects half a million people in Britain, researchers said.RP is a degenerative condition where the light-sensing cells in the retina produce the wrong amount of protein, leading to a gradual loss of function, which results in total blindness. It affects up to 20,000 people in Britain.
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