In the UK, a group of blind patients can read again after receiving a "life-changing" implant, reports the BBC, writes UNN.
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The surgeon who implanted microchips in five patients at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London called the results of the international trial "impressive."
Sheila Irwin, 70, who is registered blind, said that being able to read and do crosswords again is simply incredible: "It's beautiful, wonderful. It brings me such pleasure."
This technology offers hope to people with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), called geographic atrophy (GA). This disease affects five million people worldwide.
In people with this condition, which is more common in older adults, cells in a tiny area of the retina at the back of the eye gradually become damaged and die, leading to blurred or distorted central vision. Color and fine details are often lost.
The new procedure involves implanting a tiny photovoltaic microchip, 2 square millimeters in size and as thin as a human hair, under the retina.
Patients then wear glasses with a built-in video camera. The camera sends an infrared beam of video images to the implant at the back of the eye, which then transmits them to a small pocket processor for enhancement and clarity.
The images are then sent back to the patient's brain via the implant and optic nerve, restoring their vision.
Patients spent months learning to interpret the images.
Mahi Muqit, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital who led the UK arm of the trial, told the BBC that it is a "groundbreaking and life-changing technology."
"This is the first implant that has been shown to give patients meaningful vision that they can use in their daily lives, for example, for reading, writing," he said.
"I consider this a great achievement," the medic emphasized.