Researchers close to creating bionic eye

Scientists at the Boston Retinal Implant Project recently developed an implant that will help those with degenerative blindness see again.

Although not a complete bionic eye, this implant is a huge step forward in that direction. It works by being implanted at the back of the eyeball and transmitting light to the brain via a tiny nerve.

Unfortunately, there are still limitations – the technology will only give vision to those who had it previously, and those who were born blind or suffer glaucoma are still without a cure. For those who do get it, vision will not be great. The technology is only capable of giving them a sense of their surroundings and not much detail.

The researchers hope to continue improving on their eye in the future, giving users the ability to recognize finer detail. In time, hopefully they can give sight to those born blind as well. Until then, though, this eye is a step in the right direction.