Artificial retinal prosthesis to restore vision for the blind

Abstract

Artificial vision as provided by the prosthetic system of a multiple-unit artificial retina chipset (MARC) implanted within the eye holds a promise to restore useful vision to a large subset of patients who are blind from retinal disorders. The system would have an external camera (mounted in a glasses frame) to acquire an image and convert it into an electrical signal. This signal would be wirelessly transmitted to an implanted chip, which would electrically stimulate the non-degenerated cells of the retina. The pattern of electrical stimulation would be controlled to produce the perception of an image. Hence, the sense of vision could be partially restored with such an implantable electronic device.