Bionic eye : a Canadian receives the implant Argus II

Rex Features/REX/SIPA

Published the 28.08.2017 at 17: 10 pm

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The “bionic eye,” Argus II is its evidence. The device was successfully implanted on a Canadian suffering from a degenerative disease. It is the first in Quebec to have implanted this prosthesis ocular, which today enables it to recover a portion of his vision and seeing, for the first time, his little boy, reports Radio Canada.

One hundred patients in the world have already received these bionic implants, fully reimbursed by Social Security in France. The system is relatively complex. A miniature camera is placed in the patient’s glasses. The images captured by the camera are transmitted to the implant fixed on the wall of the eye.

It converts the video frame into several series of pulses that are transmitted wirelessly to an electrode array placed on the surface of the retina. These pulses then come stimulate the retinal cells, resulting in the perception of light patterns by the brain. The patient learns to interpret these light patterns while recovering visual abilities.

Source : Second Sight

Distinguish the outlines

Without giving a perfect view, the” bionic eye ” enables patients to distinguish the contours and to recognize shapes. The implant restores to a person without sight, the ability to carry out normal daily activities, indicates the integrated Center for academic health and social services (CIUSSS) of the East-of-the-Island-of-Montreal.

Developed since the early 2000s, the Argus II is designed specifically for the case of pigmentary retinopathy. Genetic variant of the AMD (macular degeneration related to age), the pigmentary retinopathy is a serious inherited disease which causes a progressive degeneration of the light-sensitive cells in the retina that can lead to blindness. It is estimated the number of people with pigmentary retinopathy, and 40 000 in France and 1.2 million in the world.