Retinal Implant Restores Sight For Blind People

Late in 2011, California-based Second Sight Medical Products began selling its revolutionary product in Europe. Dubbed the Argus II, it is a retinal implant that works in conjunction with a wireless camera to deliver an amazing result – partial sight for people blinded by retinitis pigmentosa. The product was recently cleared for sale in the US by the Food and Drug Administration and Second Sight plans to have the Argus II selling in its home market this year.

At $100,000, this is quite a pricey product, but it took nearly a decade of outpatient testing before the European launch and the effect is nothing short of a miracle; as co-founder and chief executive Robert Greenberg jokingly told Inc.com, the last time sight was restored to the blind was in the Bible.

Greenberg explained in his interview for the website that the company was inspired by cochlear implants, which create sounds for deaf people by artificial stimulation of electrodes implanted in the inner ear. The Argus II combines a retinal implant with a wireless camera attached to a pair of glasses. The light recorded by the camera is transmitted to the implant, which, in turn, stimulates electrodes within the eye. The resulting patterns are interpreted by the brain as low-resolution images in black and white.

While patients are now simply enjoying the ability to see, Greenberg is hoping to bring colour to future Argus II versions. Google Glass and similar emerging technologies may also affect the design of the product, he told Inc.com.