Artificial retina reconstructs normal vision in mice, human trials next

[img]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/11/101117-babbyhead-01.jpg
[/img]
Scientists have been working on artificial retinas for years, and
while the main focus of research has been to increase the amount of
light captured, a study led by Sheila Nirenberg, PhD, has taken a
different tack. The new system being devised at Weill Cornell Medical
College better mimics frontline photoreceptor cells, making it easier
for the ganglion cells to output a more accurate image. "If you want
to really restore normal vision, you have to know the retina's code,"
Nirenberg said. "Once you have that, the door is open to the
possibility of restoring normal vision." When researchers performed
tests with mice, they found that those with the new system
reconstructed more details (the second image, above) than those
without (image three, above). "Incorporating the [more accurate] code
jumped the system's performance up to normal levels - that is, there
was enough information to reconstruct faces, newsprint, landscapes,
essentially anything," Nirenberg said. The next step? Coordinating
with other researchers to test the technology on human participants.