[Blindtlk] 1st artificial retina approved in Europe

[Steven Johnson]

Second Sight Medical Products' Argus II artificial retina device is
displayed on a mannequin.
(Credit: Second Sight Medical Products) Imagine losing your sight for twenty
years and then starting to regain it. That's what happened to Barbara
Campbell, a woman with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease of the retina
that affects about 100,000 Americans and gradually leads to severe vision
loss.


Most patients are legally blind by the age of 40. Two years ago, Barbara was
one of the first patients to get an artificial retina. The device uses a
tiny camera embedded in the front of her glasses to capture images that are
transmitted to 60 electrodes sitting on a surgically implanted chip in the
back of her damaged retina. 


The electrodes then stimulate nerves in the visual center of the brain. The
image is indistinct because it contains the equivalent of only 60 pixels,
compared to the millions normally present when a healthy retina transmits a
snapshot to the brain. But it's an impressive start, and the degree of
regained vision is likely to improve significantly as the number of
implanted electrodes increases.


Today, an artificial retinal implant called the Argus II was approved for
commercial use in Europe. It is the first artificial retina available for
sale. 


While it doesn't restore full sight, it can allow patients to see borders,
shapes, and light more clearly. The device is expected to be on sale in
Europe by this summer at a price of about $100,000 - not including surgical
costs. It's unclear whether the price tag will be covered by insurance. The
company plans to seek FDA approval for the U.S. market later this year.


This new technology got me thinking; it doesn't use the eye to capture light
-- it uses a camera. What input devices will be used in the future to send
images - nearby or far away - to more sophisticated, higher-resolution chips
embedded in the back of the eye - or even directly in the brain? 


In addition to a patient's surroundings, will digital books, movies, and
device screens also be transmitted? And could this same concept be used to
help patients with other impaired senses such as hearing or touch? 


I interviewed Barbara Campbell for a segment on tonight's "CBS Evening News
with Katie Couric". She told me that her goal is to see colors again and to
visit the Grand Canyon. But for now, she's thrilled just to be able to see
the light in her refrigerator for the first time in years.

20 years ago, an organ donor saved my life, Jan. 29, 1991-Jan. 29, 2011