A British mother of three who was given a revolutionary ‘bionic eye’ has spoken of her delight at regaining her vision for the first time in over six years.
Rhian Lewis, 49, was offered the retinal implant as part of a trial at the Oxford Eye Hospital. Surgeons based there fitted a tiny electronic chip at the back of her right eye’s retina in a bid to restore her sight.
Cardiff-based Lewis has suffered from retinitis pigmentosa since she was five years old. The degenerative disorder is inherited and causes gradual deterioration of photoreceptors in the retina, which are responsible for detecting light. The disease can result in blindness and affects one in 3-4,000 people across the UK.
Lewis is totally blind in her right eye and almost completely blind in her left eye. The retinal implant she received was manufactured by a German company, and was fitted in her eye in June. Operations to implant the electronic chip typically take six to eight hours.
After the procedure, Lewis was delighted when she realized she could see. She said it felt like Christmas Day when she discovered she could read the time.
The electronic implant she received is just 3mm sq in size and contains roughly 15,000 light sensors that send pulsating electrical signals to the eye’s nerve cells. It is hooked up to a mini computer that rests behind the ear underneath the skin, and resembles a hearing aid.
When the device is first activated, patients can detect light but generally can’t distinguish shapes. However, over the course of several weeks their brains learn to interpret those flashes as objects. Although the images can appear grainy and in black and white, they hold the potential to change people’s lives.
After Lewis’ retinal implant was switched on, she said she saw flashes of light within seconds. As she ambled along the street some time later, she was able to make out a silver car drenched in sunlight.
Via RT.