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Introduction
Technology has done wonders for the mankind. Chips are designed specifically to imitate the characteristics of the damaged retina. There is hope for the blind in the form of Bionic Eyes.
VISUAL SYSTEM
The human visual system features two mobile acquisition units
RETINA
Innermost layer of the wall of the eyeball. Nerves picks up impulses from the retina . The light is received by photoreceptor cells called rods and cones. The photoreceptors convert light into nerve impulses. The nerve fibres exit the eyeball at the optic disk and reach the brain through the optic nerve.
RETINAL DISEASES
Two important types of retinal degenerative disease Retinitis pigmentosa (RP)
Affect the photoreceptor layer or light sensing cells of the retina. Hereditary and affect individuals earlier in life.
It usually takes the form of an externally-worn camera. The device is a circle about the size of a five-cent piece, inserted into the eye where the retina sits.
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The device receives signals from a pair of glasses worn by the patient, which are fitted with a camera. Currently the technology is only able to transmit a 10 x 10 pixel. The most recent version of the implant features an array of 60 pixels. Researches are on going to increase the number of pixels to 1,000.
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Retinal implant system available: Argus I It consists of a 16 electrode array and a relatively large implanted receiver implanted behind the ear. Argus II It is designed with a 60 electrode array and a much smaller receiver that is implanted around the eye. The third generation model is already in the works and promises much better vision 12
WORKING
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OCULAR IMPLANTS
Ocular implants are those which are placed inside the retina.
Two types of ocular implants: Epi-retinal implant Sub-retinal implant
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On Going Developments Argus III The Artificial Retina The Argus III will work by taking the image from a camera and wirelessly transmitting it to an electronics package. That package will stimulate undamaged retinal tissue using a thin film transistor electrode array. ARGUS I ARGUS II ARGUS III
RESPONSE TIME(sec)
15 16
2-3 60
<2 200+
PIXEL
Challenges
Current retinal implants provide very low resolution-just a few hundred pixels. A major limiting factor in achieving high resolution concerns the proximity of electrodes to target cells. It is practically impossible to place thousands of electrodes so close to cells. There are 120 million rods and 6 million cones in the retina of every healthy human eye. Creating an artificial replacement for these is no easy task. 17
Si based photo detectors have been tried in earlier attempts. But Si is toxic to the human body and reacts unfavorably with fluids in the eye. There are many doubts as to how the brain will react to foreign signals generated by artificial light sensors. Infection and negative reaction are the always-feared factors. It is imperative that all precautionary measures need to be ascertained.
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Revolutionary piece of technology has the potential to change people's lives. A bionic eye implant that could help restore the sight of millions of blind people could be available to patients within two years. We may not restore the vision fully, but we can help them to least be able to find their way, recognize faces, read books, above all lead an independent life.
CONCLUSION
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THANK YOU
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