Bionic Eye Implant Gives Man A Chance To See His Wife For The First Time In A Decade
Allen Zderad, 68, can see for the first time in a decade after receiving a "bionic eye" implant. Zderad, who resides in Minnesota, is now the 15th person to receive this kind of implant, NBC News reported.
Zderad’s blindness is a result of an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, where the part of the retina that turns light into vision deteriorates. According to NBC, Raymond Iezzi Jr., a researcher for the Mayo Clinic and ophthalmologist, first came across Zderad’s case when researching "Second Sight Argus II," a retinal prosthesis system. The prosthetic was developed to "enable blind individuals to achieve greater independence."
Iezzi found Zderad to be a great candidate for the prosthetic — it's not unlike a pair of large sunglasses — so he implanted 60 electrodes in Zderad’s eye. These electrodes are connected to a camera built into the glasses, and a wearable computer pack sends information to the electrodes, which then sends signals straight to the optic nerve. While Zderad can't see the details of people's faces, he can make out their forms and shapes.
"This is great for this family," Iezzi said. "It's also very unusual for a scientist like me to be able to actually apply outcomes of what we've worked on for years to help a patient. That's very special."
Watch Zderad's emotional reaction in the video below: