Kategorier: Alle - technology - research

af Ronald Hesse 9 år siden

269

ARGUSBionic Eye

A groundbreaking bionic eye implant called ARGUS has been successfully performed for the first time in North Carolina, offering hope to individuals suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease.

ARGUSBionic Eye

ARGUS:Bionic Eye

University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center

Dr. Thiran Jayasundera, One of the surguns who preforms this surgury.
Site for all four implants

Anne Arbor

Roger Pontz
Retinitis Pigmentosa

Causes "Bare light blindness"

Gradual sight loss from light sensitive rods and cones which are retinal cells.

Inherited predisposition

Diagnosed as a teen, nearly totally blind for many years

Degenerative disease

Technology behind the "miracle"

Research and cost
Research has been going on twenty years, originating at Duke. Very expensive at almost 145,000$
Results
Most patients compare the improvement against the idea of being totally blind and are very pleased
Pontz was seeing glimpses of his wife, grandson and cat
The improvement was starteling for Pontz and his wife
This implant gives you flashes of light that may correspond to things around you
The technology has two physically seperate parts
Internal: Surgically implanted antennea and micro-chip

Micro-chip stimulates the retina

Signal goes to a micro-chip attached to the retina

Called a coil and goes around the eye

External:Specialized glasses

Video gets proccessed by the compute and sends it back to the glasses

the camera is wired to a small computer

Has camera in middle

Duke Eye Center

First such surgury in North Carolina state history
DR. Paul Hahn

Duke

Larry Hestor
Also has retinitis pigmentosa

Inherited (genetic) predisposition

Disease damages the retinal cells, the light sensitive rods and cones

Causes bare light blindness

Degemerative illness

Has been losing eye sight for 30 years