Giving the Blind Sight- New Technologies
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Braille and computer-assistive technologies have assisted the blind, but future technologies are being developed that enable the blind to see again. Currently, 36 million people are blind, and many are negatively impacted as a result. With the problems of diabetes and other diseases that target sight, future developments and technologies for the blind are taking center stage.
Surgically implanted technologies that interact with the parts of the brain that process sight are currently in development. Surgically implanted eyes or links to parts of the brain that process sight are not new, but are becoming more commercial and practical. The technology employed to help the patient will vary based upon the region of the eye, nerve or brain that is damaged. Eyesight can be lost if the brain, optic nerve or retina are damaged, and each instance has an application to help.
Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, and the optical nerve is degraded and damaged. Dutch scientists are working on an implant that avoids the optical nerve and connects the eyes directly to brain regions responsible for sight. In another application, a device that is a camera on eyeglasses can transmit images to an implanted chip.
Artificial eyes and artificial retinas are also in development, and can help if the optical nerve is undamaged. Second Sight, a company in Europe is developing these technologies that can be helpful for those who have certain diseases and physical damage to their eyes. For many, the optical nerve is undamaged, and such technologies may prove to be more cost-effective than brain implants.
Elon Musk’s Neurolink project has garnered both awe and horror, as the notion that an implantable computer link can be put in the brain and allow for connectivity in some fashion. Eye transplants, engineered eyeballs and genetic therapies that target damaged areas key to sight are currently technologies that are in process. The future looks promising for the blind as a plethora of curative technologies will be available. The cost of surgically implanted technology is currently high, but like any technology, it will mature and become within reach of many.
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