What is a visual prosthesis?

The visual prosthesis is a device that actively provides some type of sight to a person who is blind. These devices are usually implanted in the eye at a specific location, often on the retina or visual bark. The most successful and widespread visual prosthesis is known as the eye of Dobelle and uses cameras that the patient wears to transmit images, which are then transmitted to the visual bark, allowing you to see the image. Patients who are most beneficial of such a prosthesis are those who had a sight at some point. Using the device is less successful for those who were born blind. The dark hole in the center called the pupil lets the light entered the inner structure of the eye. The focused light travels to the rear of the eye, where it hits a lining known as the retina. From there, the retina converts the light of doelectric impulses that travel along the optical nerves to the brain. The visual prosthesis seeks to simulate one or more parts of this process to compensate for degenerative conditions or to restore view, in general.

One form of visual prosthesis, which has gained sufficient research, includes the concept of inserting a photo -sensitive chip through the retina. These chips are able to detect light coming from the eye naturally and transfer this information to the brain. Although there are several working versions of this concept, such as Argus ™ retinal, technology behind it remains very expensive.

Another type of visual prosthesis implants the type of computer controller on the visual bark itself. This method is based on some type of external sensor or camera transmission camera to the controller. The driver then stimulates the nerves of the eye and causes the Field lights to appear in front of the person. This field of lights seems to be a very harsh representation of a picture similar to the pixel that the camera transmits.

There are problems with the use of visual prosthesis. One is that no matter how small the light diodes are, the image resolution that the person sees is still incrediblegrain. Another problem is how the brain interprets the image. Some patients who have a visual prosthesis have great difficulty in determining depth and distance. Finally, some prostheses may cause the image to be transmitted or merged into large bars of light and create temporary blind spots.