Heard of the golden years? Yeah, I don't want to go through them either but imagine you had to do that with no eyesight. Imagine not being able to see the pizza guy that you want to pick a fight with for being a minute late or sitting on the porch and reading the paper or whatever people do when they get older.
Hopefully, by the time this current generation of "Millenials" hits the golden years, there will be something as simple as taking a pill to cure blindness. Until that happens, there is still new research that is worth being hopeful about. It is loosely called the artificial retina and is making its rounds in the scientific community as being able to help people restore some aspects of their vision.
Image Source: The New York Times (click to enlarge)
By implanting electrodes into the retina and connecting them to the optic nerve, the brain can receive images from a miniature camera mounted on glasses and can decipher between light and dark. We're not talking about high definition here but if someone can make out the markings on a sidewalk or recognize faces, then its a huge step towards enabling people to use their eyes again.
However, as with any new technology, there are certain limitations. As a person goes blind, the part of the brain that processes vision does not get used anymore. Technology might be able to help people regain their vision but people will still have to go through intensive rehabilitation programs to retrain the part of the brain that is responsible for vision. Although, this would be considered a small price to pay for the possibility of being able to see again.
0 comments:
Post a Comment