How does the bionic eye work?

Now three patients in Melbourne, Australia have been implanted with the “bionic eye” which is a retinal implant that is expected to help blind people see. The device that was used in these surgeries was developed by a collaboration between Bionic Vision Australia, the Bionics Institute and the Centre for Eye Research Australia.

In case of the first patient the device was surgically implanted and then switched on one month later.  It is equipped with 24 electrodes with a small wire that extends from the back of the eye to a receptor attached behind the ear. The bionic eye is inserted into the choroidal space which is the space next to the retina within the eye.

Dr Penny Allen, the surgeon who implanted the bionic eye said that electrical impulses were passed through the device, which then stimulated the retina. Those impulses then pass back to the brain creating the image. The device electrically stimulates the retina, the next step in the science project was analyzing the visual information that they were getting from the stimulation she said.

The type of vision restored is likely to be more black and white than technicolor, says the doctor. However it is definitely going to give the patient far greater mobility than they had before.