Bionic eye. (Life/Tech News).LAST JANUARY, University of Houston scientists announced an "eye opening" breakthrough: an implant implant /im·plant/ (im-plant´) to insert or to graft (tissue, or inert or radioactive material) into intact tissues or a body cavity. that may cure some forms of blindness. The Houston team plans to start human trials of a new bionic A machine that is patterned after principles found in humans or nature; for example, robots. It also refers to artificial devices implanted into humans replacing or extending normal human functions. See biomimicry. eye--partly inspired by unmanned experiments aboard a NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. satellite. "We're still not sure what patients will see," says Dr. Alex Ignatiev, project lead scientist. But he hopes the implants will restore partial sight to some blind patients, letting them detect shapes and colors. The "bionic eye" is designed to mimic a real retina, a 0.4 millimeter-thick screen of light-detecting cells called cones and rods that lines the back of the eye (see diagram). A healthy eye has millions of such cells, but age-related diseases can destroy them, resulting in 1.7 million cases of blindness each year in the U.S. To mimic the complex retina, the implants were crafted from tiny slivers of a 2-micron-thick space-age material called lead-zirconium-titanium oxide. The material houses 100,000 light detectors, similar to a retina's cone and rod cells rod cell n. Any of various cylindrically-shaped cells in the retina that respond to dim light. ; it's painstakingly pains·tak·ing adj. Marked by or requiring great pains; very careful and diligent. See Synonyms at meticulous. n. Extremely careful and diligent work or effort. assembled atom by atom inside a perfect vacuum, a place with zero matter, including basic elements found in air, like oxygen. The best place to find a vacuum? Space, of course. That's where initial material research was conducted. Luckily, the implants can be constructed in laboratory vacuums on Earth. So far, researchers have received over 200 requests for bionic eyes. HOW THE BIONIC EYE WORKS Using NASA space technology, scientists have developed an artificial eye part that can restore lost vision: Implant made of 100,000 detectors, each 1/20 the size of a human hair; replaces damaged retina. Artificial retina Responds to light like rod and cone cells cone cell n. One of the photoreceptors in the retina of the eye that is responsible for daylight and color vision; they are densely concentrated in the fovea centralis, creating the area of greatest visual acuity. in a real retina. Healthy eye Rod and cone cells convert light into electric signals; pass signals to brain via optic nerve optic nerve: see vision. . Blindness is caused by damaged rod and cone cells. Retina Thin screen of about 100,000 light-detecting cells; covers 65% of interior eye surface. Optic nerve Sends electric signals to brain to be interpreted. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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