At the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science, a research presented the idea that the blind could have their vision restored, thanks to bionic eye implants which would be available to patients in the next two years.

The first of such an implant has been in the works for five years now. Patients fitted with older versions of the "bionic eyes" have been reported to be able to see light, shapes and movement. Newer versions with higher resolution has recently been developed; the US Food and Drug Administration has already approved the implant of these devices in an exploratory patient trial happening across America in two years.

The device, called the Argus II system, uses a spectacle-mounted camera to send visual information to the electrodes of the eye. The technology would be available to patients with particular forms of blindness including Macular degeneration, a condition in which the light-sensing cells of the eye malfunction, and Retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition characterized by tunneling and eventually loss of vision.

The Argus II system works with a camera used to capture pictures, and a processing unit about the size of a small handheld computer worn on a belt, converting visual information into electrical signals. These signals are then sent, in real time, to a receiver just under the surface of the front of the eye, which in turn feeds them to the electrodes at the rear.

The first six recipients of the first versions of this system said that they were able to make out shapes and avoid low-hanging branches when walking along a street. Faces could be recognized but only seen as a dark shadow. Said Professor Mark Humayun, from the University of Southern California, "It's amazing, even with 16 pixels, or electrodes, how much our first six subjects have been able to do."

Compared to the older implants, the new devices have a higher resolution with 60 electrodes. They are smaller too, reducing the amount of surgery needed to be done to implant them. If the two-year exploratory patient trial would prove to be successful, these bionic eyes could be commercialized soon, costing around US$ 30,000.

Researchers are still working on developing higher-resolution and wider-view versions of the Argus II system. They are also still studying on the possible effects that the implants might cause on the human brain.

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