New Kind of Retinal Implant

A retinal implant, under development at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland and Stanford University in California, is much simpler in design and operation than present models. A thin silicon device, with no wires, is surgically implanted and electrically stimulates cells that are not affected by AMD. Video goggles deliver images to the eye via pulsed near infra-red light. “The prosthetic retina we are developing has been partly inspired by cochlear implants for the ear but with a camera instead of a microphone and, where cochlear implants have a few channels, we are designing the retina to deal with millions of light sensitive nerve cells and sensory outputs,” said Dr. Keith Mathieson, a lead researcher on the project.

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