Bionic vision: the fight for sight.
By Anthony Burkitt.
Published: March 23, 2011.
What is the bionic eye?
Often when we talk about the bionic eye, people get the idea of some
sort
of
artificial eye implanted to replace visual function.
In reality, the “eye” comprises a series of components. It is an
implanted
system that includes a retinal implant with an array of electrodes that
electrically stimulate surviving nerve cells at the back of the eye.
In a nutshell, this retinal prosthesis is designed to restore some sense
of
vision to people who are blind due to degenerative retinal conditions.
Who are we?
Bionic Vision Australia is a group of research collaborators from
Melbourne,
Sydney and Canberra.
Our consortium is set up as a joint venture between five member
organisations:
the Bionic Ear Institute, the Centre for Eye Research Australia, NICTA,
the
University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales.
We also have researchers involved from two supporting organisations:
Australian
National University and the University of Western Sydney. There are just
over
100 researchers and students working on various parts of the project.
As part of our team, we have experts in the fields of ophthalmology,
biomedical
engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, neuroscience,
vision
science, psychophysics, wireless integrated-circuit design, surgical,
preclinical and clinical practice.
It is this multi-disciplinary approach that sets us apart from our
international
competitors. Such an integrated approach is the soundest way to deliver
the best
possible outcomes for our future patients.
How will the bionic eye work?
Current bionic vision technology is based on a camera that captures
images,
processes them and sends data to a retinal implant. This implant
contains
a
number of electrodes that stimulate the remaining cells of the retina to
elicit
the perception of vision.
We are simultaneously developing two devices: the “wide-view” and the
“high-acuity” retinal implants. There are a number of technical
differences
between them, but essentially, both devices aim to restore some sense of
vision
by electrically stimulating cells in the retina based on information
captured by
an external camera.
The “wide-view” device contains 98 stimulating electrodes and aims to
aid
patients with navigation and independence. The “high-acuity” device
contains
roughly 1000 electrodes and aims to restore some functional central
vision,
enabling patients to recognise details so they can see faces and
possibly
read
large print.
Who is it for?
The predominant cause of inherited blindness is a group of conditions
called
retinitis pigmentosa, which is characterised by the progressive loss of
vision,
and affects 1.5 million people worldwide.
In Australia, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which most
frequently
affects people over 65, is responsible for almost half of all cases of
legal
blindness.
The technology we are developing will primarily be of benefit to people
with
these conditions. Our first patients will be those who are experiencing
blindness but, with time and further research, it is possible that this
technology will also be suitable for people with low vision.
What the technology won’t do is help those who have been blind since
birth: for
patients to benefit from these devices, they need to have been able to
see
in
the past so their brain knows what to do with the information it
receives
from a
bionic eye.
Why is this happening in Australia?
Australia has a rich history in the area of medical bionic devices, from
the
pacemaker to the cochlear implant, now known popularly as the “bionic
ear”.
Our
consortium, Bionic Vision Australia, is fortunate to benefit from this
experience and the understanding of what it takes to bring a successful
medical
device to the market.
Who are we competing with?
Internationally, there are around 30 groups working on this technology,
including the Retina Implant AR in Germany (based at the University of
Tubingen)
and the Boston Retinal Implant group in the USA.
Another group from the USA, Second Sight, recently announced it had
received
regulatory approval in Europe to proceed with marketing its device, the
Argus
II. While this is of course a great achievement, it does not imply that
this
device will be the only technology on the market in the future.
At Bionic Vision Australia we are working on delivering a device that is
safe,
effective and can stay safely implanted over the lifetime of the
patient.
It’s worth pointing out that the context in which we worked on the
bionic
ear
development was one of significant international competition. One
company,
3M,
was marketing its device before Australian researchers had even begun
patient
tests, and yet Cochlear Ltd is now the global leader in bionic hearing
technology and has made a profound impact on the lives of more than
200,000
cochlear implant recipients around the world.
What stage is the Australian technology at?
Our researchers are working through an extensive program of safety and
efficacy
tests for our devices.
The results of these studies then feed into the device development and
stimulation strategy teams to ensure that we deliver implants that
provide
the
best possible functional benefits for our future patients.
The clinical team is working with patients who have retinitis pigmentosa
and
age-related macular degeneration to understand more about the retina,
and
again,
feed these findings back into the device development process.
Finally, our surgical team is developing techniques for implantation and
support
the work of the preclinical team.
Where to from here?
Our first set of patient tests for the “wide-view” device will be
completed by
the end of 2013. If these are successful we will begin the
commercialisation
process so we can deliver a device to market as soon as possible.
The results will also inform and speed up the development of the
“high-acuity”
device, which will hopefully give us the potential to leap-frog
international
competitors.
And finally.
It’s probably too early to say just how much vision we will be able to
restore,
but with the fullness of time and continued dedication and effort, who
knows
what will be possible in years to come?
If you are interested in participating in patient tests with Bionic
Vision
in
Australia, please contact the clinical team.
http://bionicvision.org.au/about/contact
Source URL:
http://theconversation.edu.au/articles/bionic-vision-the-fight-for-sight-302
To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to
seeingwithsound-requ...@freelists.org
with "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the subject line. To
subscribe
again, send a blank e-mail to seeingwithsound-requ...@freelists.org with
"subscribe" in the subject line, and next reply to the confirmation
message.
