With all the technological advancements in the world, we have solutions for nearly every problem. There has been a major medical breakthrough in reshaping the future of blindness treatment. Researchers from Monash University in Australia have developed the world’s first bionic eye. This offers hope to millions of people suffering from blindness. It is a cutting-edge technology, known as the ‘Gennaris Bionic Vision System’, that aims to restore vision for those who have lost it. The innovation is set to revolutionise healthcare for individuals with untreatable blindness.
Decades of research
The ‘Gennaris Bionic Vision System’ is the result of nearly a decade of research and development. This advanced system works by bypassing damaged optic nerves that usually transmit visual information from the eye to the brain. Instead, the system sends signals directly to the brain's vision centre. This allows the user to perceive images.
Following encouraging results in animal studies, the bionic eye is now preparing for its first human clinical trials in Melbourne. In sheep, the technology showed minimal negative effects and was successfully implanted into the brain. The upcoming trials will determine the technology's success in recovering vision in human patients, putting it one step closer to broad adoption.
How does it work?
The patients would wear a headgear that would be specially made and fitted with a wireless transmitter and camera. The whole system has small, 9 mm implants that are placed inside the brain to receive and analyze any visual data for its user.
This bionic eye offers individuals with incurable blindness a revolutionary new way of living. The team in addition to restoring vision, the research team wants to investigate additional options, such as helping people with neurological disorders like paralysis.
Is it a technological marvel?
What sets the Gennaris system apart is the way it mimics the eye’s natural structure. Most previous attempts at creating bionic eyes struggled with recreating the retina’s concave shape, which allows for the capture of a wider field of view. This system uses advanced technology to achieve a more natural-like vision. This particular study can be dated back to 2020.
Although the artificial eye currently offers a 100-degree field of view—slightly less than the human eye's 130-degree range—it surpasses previous flat sensor technologies, which maxed out at just 70 degrees. The time it takes to process photos is greatly decreased by the more responsive nanowires used.
The impact of this bionic eye technology has already been seen in real-life cases. Take the story of Myah Hauxwell who is a nine-year-old girl from the UK who was born with a rare condition called microphthalmia. Myah had a tiny, undeveloped eye that led to vision issues and years of surgeries to expand her eye socket.
After being bullied for her appearance, Myah’s mother crowdfunded more than £15,000 (around INR 16lakh) to provide her with a state-of-the-art bionic prosthetic eye in Los Angeles, as per media reports. The procedure gave Myah three new eyes, including a bionic one with a digital iris and a dilating pupil. This eye treatment helped her regain her confidence.
