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The line between the living body and the complex chip has virtually disappeared.
Modern medicine has long been looking for a way to restore vision to people who have completely lost it, and now scientists have managed to take another real step in this direction. In the United States, the third operation to implant a wireless neuroimplant has been successfully completed, which bypasses the damaged eyes and directly affects the brain, creating artificial vision.
The procedure was carried out at the Rush University Medical Center. The patient was implanted with 34 miniature wireless stimulants with 544 electrodes that implant in the visual cortex of the brain. A device called ICVP (Intracortical Visual Prosthesis) does not attempt to restore the retina or optic nerve – it completely passes them and gives electrical impulses directly to the brain, forming images of artificial light.
The development of the system is led by the Illinois Institute of Technology in conjunction with neurosurgeons and visually healers from several leading institutions, including Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago. They worked on the project for years - before moving to the clinical phase, the team for a long time improved surgical methods and reliability of the equipment.
The fact that the operation was successful for the third time in a row is fundamentally important: this indicates the reproducibility and stability of the system, without which it is impossible to scale the technology for widespread use.
Neurosurgeon Sefer Sani, who performed implantation, noted that this achievement brings the device closer to the status of a real option for helping people with deep vision loss. Philip Troy, project manager and director of the Pritzker Institute at the Illinois Institute of Technology, stressed that decades of laboratory research are finally translated into practical solutions that can change people’s lives.
Approximately four weeks after the operation, the patient will begin training sessions at the Hilton Prosthetic Research Center with The Chicago Lighthouse. Experts will study how well the brain will learn to interpret incoming signals - to distinguish between light patterns, navigate in space and perform simple tasks. Janet Schlick, head of The Chicago Lighthouse, noted that even a minimal perception of light can radically change the daily life of a completely blind person.
Observation of study participants will last from one to three years. The team also recruits volunteers – people who have blind in adulthood, but had normal vision at least in the first ten years of life.
Modern medicine has long been looking for a way to restore vision to people who have completely lost it, and now scientists have managed to take another real step in this direction. In the United States, the third operation to implant a wireless neuroimplant has been successfully completed, which bypasses the damaged eyes and directly affects the brain, creating artificial vision.
The procedure was carried out at the Rush University Medical Center. The patient was implanted with 34 miniature wireless stimulants with 544 electrodes that implant in the visual cortex of the brain. A device called ICVP (Intracortical Visual Prosthesis) does not attempt to restore the retina or optic nerve – it completely passes them and gives electrical impulses directly to the brain, forming images of artificial light.
The development of the system is led by the Illinois Institute of Technology in conjunction with neurosurgeons and visually healers from several leading institutions, including Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago. They worked on the project for years - before moving to the clinical phase, the team for a long time improved surgical methods and reliability of the equipment.
The fact that the operation was successful for the third time in a row is fundamentally important: this indicates the reproducibility and stability of the system, without which it is impossible to scale the technology for widespread use.
Neurosurgeon Sefer Sani, who performed implantation, noted that this achievement brings the device closer to the status of a real option for helping people with deep vision loss. Philip Troy, project manager and director of the Pritzker Institute at the Illinois Institute of Technology, stressed that decades of laboratory research are finally translated into practical solutions that can change people’s lives.
Approximately four weeks after the operation, the patient will begin training sessions at the Hilton Prosthetic Research Center with The Chicago Lighthouse. Experts will study how well the brain will learn to interpret incoming signals - to distinguish between light patterns, navigate in space and perform simple tasks. Janet Schlick, head of The Chicago Lighthouse, noted that even a minimal perception of light can radically change the daily life of a completely blind person.
Observation of study participants will last from one to three years. The team also recruits volunteers – people who have blind in adulthood, but had normal vision at least in the first ten years of life.
