Created by Second Sight, the Argus II retinal prosthesis took more than 15 years to develop, and was approved for the European market back in 2011. But thanks to FDA’s seemingly endless amount of red tape, Second Sight didn’t receive the go ahead for sale in the U.S.A., until now.

Argus II restores partial sight to people with a degenerative eye disease called Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), by replacing the light-sensing cells at the back of the retina with small electrodes.

The electrodes, which are implanted in the eye, is connected to a small camera mounted on glasses, and a visual processor that the user wears around the waist. Images from the camera are sent to the processor and back to the glasses, where it is wirelessly transmitted to the implanted electronics.

The system works for those with RP since the disease only affects the light-sensing cells in the retina, but leaves the optic nerve and the rest of the visual system intact.

The current model supports 60 electrodes, which is equivalent to watching a moving image at a resolution of 60 pixels. However it is sufficient to pick out objects, and allows the user to move around unaided.

An estimated 100,000 people in the U.S. suffer from, RP. The company hopes its device will go some way to helping those people regain some of their eyesight.

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Low vision a term used for people who trouble reading, watching TV, or performing other daily activities despite glasses, contact lenses, medication, or even surgery. Many of these people resort to magnifying attachments and other low vision aids, but some simply give up on reading.

The new study, which was made up of two experiments, found that backlit tablets help those with low vision read faster and more comfortably.

In the first experiment 62 people, over half of whom suffered from macular eye disease, read three articles from the New York Times; one in the print version of the newspaper, one as computer print out and the other on an Apple iPad 2.

Backlit Tablets Make Reading Easier For People With Low Vision

The study found that the participants read faster on the iPad than the newspaper or printed article. The improvement was most pronounced among people who had low vision in both eyes.

In the second experiment, 100 people read a chapter from a book in 5 different ways – from the real book, on an iPad 2 with 12-point font, on an iPad 2 with 18-point font, on an Amazon Kindle with 12-point font and 18-point font.

The Kindle used in the study did not have a backlight, although the Kindle Fire does have one.

The results showed that the participants read faster from the iPad 2 than from the Kindle, especially when using the 18-point font.

On average the readers read 42 more words per minute on the iPad 2 with an 18-point font compared to the book. By contrast, a 12 word-per-minute gain was seen among those reading on the Kindle in the same font.

Researcher Daniel Roth, MD. He is an associate clinical professor at Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine in New Brunswick, N.J. explained that that backlight boosts contrast sensitivity or the ability to see an object stand out from its background, those suffering with low vision lose this ability:

“The findings apply to anyone with compromised reading vision who has difficulty seeing letters or words. The magnified font and backlight allows them to improve their reading ability and comfort.”

Mark Fromer, MD, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City agress:

“These devices create contrast between the letters and the background so they can read more easily — without magnifiers…

“The 18-point font size and the contrast allow them to pick up the shape of the letters much easier than standard print.”

Janet Sunness, MD, an ophthalmologist in Baltimore, also points out that tablets are generally much cheaper than high-tech low-vision aids, which can cost as much as $3000. And iPad costs around $400.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Chicago.

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The special contact lenses work by altering how light is focused in the peripheral retina; this in turn induces a change in growth that helps reshape the eyeball.

After experimenting with different focal powers, the researchers were able to change eye growth with predictable results.

New Contact Lenses Prevents Nearsightedness

Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball is elongated, which makes it hard to focus on distant objects. The condition affects around 40 percent of Americans, and is known to worsen with age.

We’ve already seen contact lenses that temporarily reshape the eyeballs to correct nearsightedness, however the effects are short lived.

The by assisting the growth of the eyeball, the new contact lenses could help prevent myopia for good.

The findings will be presented at the Optical Society’s (OSA) Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO) 2012, Oct. 14 in Rochester, N.Y.

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In color experiments the men and women tended to ascribe different shades to the same objects. The researchers believe they know why:

“Across most of the visible spectrum males require a slightly longer wavelength than do females in order to experience the same hue.”

Since longer wavelengths are associated with “warmer” colors, an orange may appear redder to a man than to a woman. Likewise grass typically appears greener to women, as men tend to see slightly yellower shades of green.

How Men and Women See Differently

The study also found that men are less adept at distinguishing shades in the colors at the center of the spectrum – blues, greens, and yellows.

Men however, were better at detecting quick-changing details from afar. The team says this advantage comes from a development in the visual cortex, which is boosted by masculine hormones. Since males have higher levels of testosterone, they’re born with 25 percent more neurons in this brain region than females.

The findings support the so-called hunter-gatherer hypothesis, which theorizes that the sexes evolved specific psychological abilities to fit their prehistoric roles.

Men who developed “significantly greater sensitivity for fine detail and for rapidly moving stimuli would [be able to] detect possible predators or prey from afar and also identify and categorize these objects more easily.”

Whereas female “gatherers” would have been better adapted to recognize objects static, close-at-hand objects such as wild berries.

John Barbur, professor of optics and visual science at City University London who did not work on the study noted that females are often “worse off in terms of absolute chromatic [color] sensitivity than males.” But when it comes to noticing subtle differences among shades of a color, women tend to come out on top, as they did in Abramov’s experiments.

“If you’re not dealing with the absolute sensitivity for color detection but the way in which colors are judged—such as the ability to describe a color, or what that color means, and so on,” he said, “I’d say that females are definitely much better than males.” Burbur added.

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Ms Dianna Ashworth suffered from sever vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa, but after years of hard work, researchers finally turned on the bionic eye prototype affording Ms Ashworth the gift of sight once again.

The bionic prototype, developed by the government-funded Bionic Vision Australia, works by using electrodes to stimulate nerve cells. The user can then differentiate between the stimulated and untouched nerve endings to visual images.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but all of a sudden, I could see a little flash…it was amazing. Every time there was stimulation there was a different shape that appeared in front of my eye,” Ms Ashworth said.

The current prototype, which is limited to the environment, works using 24 electrodes. The next stage is to develop a model with 98 electrodes; this would enable patients to see large objects. Eventually the team would like to develop a bionic eye with 1,024, electrodes that works outside of the lab – this would allow people to recognize faces and large print.

Researchers Implant Worlds First Bionic Eye

Professor Rob Shepherd, Team leader and Director of the Bionics Institute said:

“We are working with Ms Ashworth to determine exactly what she sees each time the retina is stimulated using a purpose built laboratory at the Bionics Institute.”

The implant marks a huge milestone for the team as they can now test first hand how the brain interprets the consistency of shapes, brightness, size and location, all of which is essential research if the technology to move forward.

Professor Emeritus David Penington AC, Chairman of Bionic Vision Australia said:

“Having this unique information will allow us to maximize our technology as it evolves through 2013 and 2014”

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In hope to further the technology scientists at Stanford University have invented a similar implant, which runs completely from solar power, instead of a battery.

The new device could help make the bionic retina easier to implant, more discreet and easier to maintain.

The new design incorporates a pair of glasses that beams infrared light into the eye to power the implant and send information to the brain.

Solar Powered Retinal Implant

Previous retinal implants requires the use of external battery and must be wired from the eye to the back of the ear where the battery connects via a magnet.

Stanford’s new device cuts out complex electronics and wiring in place of a small camera mounted on the glasses. Since the light entering the eye is not sufficient to power the implant, the camera boosts the light 1000 times. This generates a signal, which is passed on the optical nerve and brain.

The researchers said: “Because the photovoltaic implant is thin and wireless, the surgical procedure is much simpler than in other retinal prosthetic approaches.

“Such a fully integrated wireless implant promises the restoration of useful vision to patients blinded by degenerative retinal diseases.”

So far the implant has only been tested in rats, however the team is confident it will work in humans and hope the procedure could be used to treat the most common form of blindness, age-related macular degeneration.

The research was published in the Journal Nature, April 2012.

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Chris James, 54, who was declared legally blind 22 years ago, became the first to receive the operation to implant an electronic retina in the back of his eye, at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. The second patient, Robin Miller, 60, who lost his sight 35 years ago, received his implant days later.

The procedure is being pioneered by Robert MacLaren, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, and Mr. Tim Jackson, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at King’s College Hospital in London. And the electrodes and external battery implants are being performed by Mr. James Ramsden of Oxford University Hospitals and Mr. Markus Groppe, an academic clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford, is performing

Retinal Bionic Implant Restores Vision

The device is design to replace the light-detecting cells in the retina, which deteriorate due to retinitis pigmentosa – an inherited condition that affects approx 1 in every 4,000 people in Europe.

The electronic retinas are just 3mm thick, and contain 1,500 light-sensitive pixels, which mimic the function of the photoreceptor rods and cones. When light reaches the retinal chip, pixels detects the waves and send electronic signals to the optic nerve and brain.

The surgery, which takes around 8 hours, involves implanting the device into the eye, running a thin cable to a control unit which sits behind the ear under the skin, and then attaching an magnetic external battery.

Professor MacLaren explains:

‘What makes this unique is that all functions of the retina are integrated into the chip. It has 1,500 light sensing diodes and small electrodes that stimulate the overlying nerves to create a pixelated image. Apart from a hearing aid-like device behind the ear, you would not know a patient had one implanted.’

The implants are manufactured by a Germany-based company aptly named Retina Implant. After 6 of year of development, the company published the results from its first human trial in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, November 2010. The study showed that using the implant; patients could recognize foreign objects and read words.

The early prototypes were not portable and only worked when linked up in the lab. The new devices in the British patients however, are completely portable.

While the technology appears to be effective in treating Retinitis Pigmentosa it must still undergo more trails to see if the procedure can be tailored to treat age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma or optic nerve disease.

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While science has uncovered genes linked to condition, the sudden increase in numbers points to environmental factors, and the main cause at the top of most experts theory list is due to an increased amount of time spent at computer screens, televisions and books, instead of playing outside.

Myopia causes the eyeball to become elongated; this results in the retina being unable to focus on incoming light because of the distorted shape.

80-90 Percent of Asian Children Have Myopia

Numerous studies in humans and animals have shown a link between reading at close distances and developing elongated eyeballs. Other studies have shown that a lack of bright light may also lead to myopia.

In the past 30 years, myopia in Singapore has increased three fold amongst all three major ethnic groups – Chinese, Indian and Malay. When researching environmental causes for the increase in numbers studies showed that schoolchildren who read more than two books per week were more likely to have myopia.

Similar research in both Singapore and Australia found correlations between the amount of time spent outside and lower rates of myopia. Research on animals showed that while intense UV rays damage the eyes, a small amount helps to stimulate dopamine release, which has been linked to eye growth. A recent study in tree shrews also suggest that bright fluorescent lights could help fight off myopia.

Other research suggests that the way we read may also be a factor in developing myopia. For example ultra-orthodox Jewish boys who study the Torah intensely at close distance while swaying have higher rates of myopia than girls, who don’t.

While the studies are far from conclusive, it does give us one more reason to step away from the computer screen, and go catch some rays whilst relaxing in the sun.

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Developed to help make driving safer, Google wanted to demonstrate how the technology could also be utilised by the partially sited. In the clip you can see Steve, a partially sighted volunteer with only 5% of his vision remaining, taking the car out for what appears to be an extremely smooth run to the shops.

The driver-less car uses radar and laser to check for oncoming traffic, these sensors also position the vehicle on a map so the car can follow a preplanned out route. Once all the kinks have been worked out, the self-driving technology could provide a way for anyone with a car – including the blind – with a voice activated driver-less form of transport, which would be safer than human behind the wheel.

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US-based Advanced Cell Technology together with the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, have announced their first results, which showed the embryonic stems can be successful attached to deteriorated retina, without showing signs of rejection.

Trials using the same technique have now begun at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital.

The trials involved two patients; one elderly woman in her 70s with dry age-related macular degeneration, and another female patient in her 50s with Stargardt’s disease. Both had very poor vision and were registered blind.

Stem Cells Safe To Treat Disease

The team injected a mixture, containing 50,000 retinal cells, into the eyes of the patients. The cells then attached to the retinal membrane and grow to replicate the function of other healthy cells surrounding it.

Four months after surgery, both patients were doing well, the team reported.

While the study was conducted to test if the procedure is safe, and not to test if it actually works, the patients did report improved vision following the operation.

If proved safe, the treatment should be able to treat patients with currently incurable blindness, however since using embryonic stem cells is a highly controversial topic, the technique will face great opposition, even if it’s deemed effective.

The team also notes that much more research needs to be conducted, and that it will be years before the treatment can be proven. Nevertheless, the results are certainly a step in the right direction for those who advocate stem cell therapy.

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