Monday, April 5, 2010

American News – Vision Care

As life expectancy increases, our eyes bear the brunt of aging; many of the elderly suffer from vision problems. One of the leading causes of eye problems in the Western world is macular degeneration. To correct this, retinal impacts, generally consisting of about 60 electrodes, have been inserted into the back of the eye. The patient wears glasses incorporating a tiny camera that views what the patient normally would, and the camera sends the image data to a minuscule computer. The compute converts the data to electrical signals, which are sent to the implant and processed by the brain. While garnering attention, these implants have yet to truly restore vision that’s any sharper than fuzzy images.


A multidisciplinary team lead by Daniel Palanker from Stanford University in California is taking implants a step future using LCD technology, the infrared spectrum and photovoltaics. While the subject is wearing what look like goggles with an LCD screen inside, the image on the LCD screen – the image the patient would normally see – is projected with pulsed infrared light onto photovoltaic cells implanted under the retina.

Source: Fischer, Anne. “Restoring Vision with Photovoltaic Optoelectronics.” Photonics Spectra. 44.3 (2010): 34-35.

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