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Six patients implanted with bionic retinas are seeing things they haven't seen in years thanks to a solar-powered microchip created by Optobionics, a private company based in Wheaton, Illinois. The microchips, surgically implanted behind the retina, are smaller than the head of a pin and about half the thickness of a sheet of paper. They work by converting light into electrical impulses.
"What we are doing is trying to replace the function of photoreceptors," said Dr. Alan Chow, a pediatric ophthalmologist and COO of Optobionics. He developed the chip with his brother Vincent Chow, an electrical engineer. Loss of light-sensing photoreceptor cells occurs in retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration, the two most common causes of untreatable blindness in developed countries, affecting at least 20 million people worldwide.
Initially, only some light perception was expected where the implant was. What seems to be improvement outside the areas was unexpected. What Dr. Chow has found is that the chips also seemed to be stimulating remaining healthy cells. The device is having a "rescue effect" on the retina, restoring cells located near the implant site. Consequently, vision is improving not just where the implant is but also in areas near the implant.
The patients in this pilot study included three patients who were implanted with the chips for nine months and three implanted for 21 months. Patients ranged in age from 45 to 76. All had lost their vision to retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition in which the retina gradually degenerates.
Chow said the study was conducted to determine whether the device was safe. In all six patients there are no signs of infection, inflammation, rejection or detachment.. He also indicated that the chip has not eroded or moved, and that none of the patients had experienced any pain or discomfort. "None can tell there is an implant in their eye," he said. What they can tell is that they can see better.
One patient, who has had the implant for nine months, saw his wife's face for the first time in years. The man, who previously could only see hand motions from four to five feet away, can now see cars from half a block away.
Another patient reported the implant has been a bit sobering, When he began to recognize faces, he was disappointed to see how his own face had aged. But he was quick to note signs of age in his brother, who also received an implant.
Optobionics will continue to monitor the patients' progress as they plan more implants in the near future.
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