In a ground-breaking implant, scientists have fitted a 51-year-old blind man with a “bionic eye” which has enabled him to see again after 30 years.
Peter Lane is one of the first people in the world to be fitted with the “bionic eye” which uses a camera and video processor mounted on a pair of glasses to send captured images wirelessly to a tiny receiver on the outside of the eye.
In turn, the receiver passes on the data via a tiny cable to an array of electrodes which sit on the retina — the layer of specialised cells which respond to light found at the back of the eye, according to the scientists.
In fact, Lane is part of a special project at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and one of just 32 people taking part in an international trial.
“The patients are progressing much faster than we at first thought. A lot of work still needs to be carried out, but this is certainly very encouraging for both the patient and the scientific community,” ophthalmologist Paulo Stangaat was quoted by the British media as saying.
