FIRST BIONIC EYE TRANSPLANT

 

Surgeons in Manchester have performed the first bionic eye implant in a patient with the most common cause of sight loss in the developed world.

Ray Flynn, 80, has dry age-related macular degeneration which has led to the total loss of his central vision.
He is using a retinal implant which converts video images from a miniature video camera worn on his glasses.
He can now make out the direction of white lines on a computer screen using the retinal implant.
 Mr Flynn said he was "delighted" with the implant and hoped in time it would improve his vision sufficiently to help him with day-to-day tasks like gardening and shopping
 The Argus II implant, manufactured by the US firm Second Sight, has previously been used to restore some vision to patients who are blind as a result of a rare condition known as retinitis pigmentosa.
 The operation, at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, is the first time it has been implanted in a patient with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which affects at least half a million people in the UK to some extent.
 The operation took four hours and was led by Paulo Stanga, consultant ophthalmologist and vireo-retinal surgeon at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology and retinal regeneration at the University of Manchester. 

How it works

The bionic eye implant receives its visual information from a miniature camera mounted on glasses worn by the patient.
The images are converted into electrical pulses and transmitted wirelessly  to an array of electrodes attached to the retina.
The electrodes stimulate remaining retina's remaining cells which send the information to the brain.
  a test, two weeks after surgery, Mr Flynn was able to detect the pattern of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines on a computer screen using the implant. 
He kept his eyes closed during the test so that the medical team could be sure that the visual information was coming via the camera on his glasses and the implant.
Mr Flynn said: "It was wonderful to be able to see the bars on the screen with my eyes closed."
 The implant cannot provide any highly detailed vision - but previous studies have shown it can help patients to detect distinct patterns such as door frames and shapes.
 The trial is being held in the Manchester Clinical Research Facility - funded by the National Institute for Health Research and Well come Trust, which aims to bring new drugs and medical devices to patients.
The Argus II costs about £150,000, including treatment costs, although all the patients on the trial will be treated free of charge.
Four more patients with dry AMD will receive the implant at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, as part of a clinical trial

Prof Stanga said: "We hope these patients will develop some central visual function which they can work in alongside and complement their peripheral vision."
We are very excited by this trial and hope that this technology might help people, including children with other forms of sight loss."
BIONIC EYE-