United Kingdom will implant free bionic eyes

Ten selected blind people will be able to see thanks to the Argus II Bionic Eye device, which consists of an antenna inside the body and a pair of glasses

  A new project carried out by the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom will allow 10 blind people to receive bionic eyes free of charge in order to restore their vision after a degenerative disease.

The Argus II Bionic Eye device is manufactured by the company Second Sight, and could mean an important step to restore vision to people who went blind due to a hereditary degenerative disease called 'retinitis pigmentosa'.

  The device consists of two parts. Surgically a prosthesis that includes an antenna, an electronic box and an electrode array is implanted in the patient's eye. Meanwhile, the external part of the device includes glasses, a video processing unit (VPU) and a cable, according to the website of the developer company.

After performing the implant, the camera receives images that are sent to a video processor and converted into electronic signals, which are then transmitted with a series of electrodes that are connected to the retina, as the BBC chain explains.

The project involves a total of ten people who will receive bionic eyes throughout 2017. After that, they will receive a personalized follow-up of the NHS for a year to observe how they evolve after the intervention.

Successfully tested

The project "surpassed all expectations," said Dr. Paulo Stanga, of the Manchester Hospital, said media. "One of the 'retinitis pigmentosa' patients who used the bionic eye could identify large letters for the first time in their adult life," he added.

"The NHS has led global medical innovations, ranging from modern cataract surgery, new vaccines and hip replacements, once again the NHS is at the forefront of leveraging innovative science for the benefit of patients in this country." explains Stanga.

However, although there is still a long way to go and the hopes placed on this device are high, there are critical voices. "The artificially created vision is also distorted in certain characteristics," the MIT Technology Review reported in 2015, after learning about cases of patients who used the device.