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From: joe harcz <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2007 07:45:33 -0500
Subject: [acb-chat] test on next generation electronic retina
To: blind democracy List <[log in to unmask]>
Cc: [log in to unmask], Michigan Comm for the Blind Vision 20/20 List
<[log in to unmask]>

Tests set to begin on next-generation electronic retina

http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=hardware&articleId=9011421&taxonomyId=12&intsrc=kc_topFebruary
16, 2007 -- The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved a study
to evaluate a new electronic artificial retina that researchers hope
can help

people who have gone blind regain some of their sight.



Researchers at the University of Southern California's Doheny Eye
Institute yesterday announced plans to begin a clinical study of the
artificial retina,

called the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System.



The Argus II is the second generation of an electronic retinal implant
designed to treat retinitis pigmentosa, a group of inherited eye
diseases that affect

the retina and can cause blindness, said Mark Humayun, professor of
ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. The updated
device may eventually

be implanted in people suffering from age-related macular degeneration, he said.



The Argus II is designed to take the place of photoreceptor cells in
the retina, which capture and process light, according to a statement
from the university.

The implantable device contains 60 electrodes on an array, which is
attached to the retina and used with an external camera and video
processing system

to provide some sight for patients, the university said.



An earlier generation of the device - which contained 16 electrodes -
has been implanted in six patients, Humayun said. These patients can
now detect light

and motion and distinguish between objects like a cup or a plate, he said.



There are 25 million people in the world who have been blinded or are
severely visually impaired from diseases like retinitis pigmentosa or
macular degeneration,

he said. By 2020 that figure is expected to double.



The Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, National
Eye Institute/NIH, Research to Prevent Blindness, the W. M. Keck
Foundation and the

Albaugh Family Trust support the study.



-- 
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