What is a bionic eye?
What is a bionic eye?
Visual prostheses, or “bionic eyes”, promise to provide artificial vision to visually impaired people who could previously see. The devices consist of micro-electrodes surgically placed in or near one eye, along the optic nerve (which transmits impulses from the eye to the brain), or in the brain.
Could a bionic eye be coming to Australia?
The first human clinical trials involving a bionic eye are set to begin in Australia, researchers say.
What are phosphenes and bionic eyes?
Phosphenes are an experience of seeing light without light entering your eye. Bionic eye recipients use these to map out a visual scene. Eugene Peretz/Flickr, CC BY Visual prostheses, or “bionic eyes”, promise to provide artificial vision to visually impaired people who could previously see.
Why can’t bionic eyes replicate the sense of colour?
Another complicating factor is that there are many neuron types in the retina but the electrodes are too large to selectively target individual types. For this reason, bionic eyes cannot replicate the sense of colour. In fact, artificial vision is very different from normal vision and takes a lot of getting used to.
