Murine Retinal Implants Suggest Possible Human Vision Restoration

Societies have tried for centuries to find a way to restore full vision to people with deteriorating vision. While glasses and contact lenses can assist as a metaphorical bandage, they aren’t an ideal solution; and for those with severe to total blindness, eyewear cannot help bring them a clearer image. A retinal implant tested in blind mice might be able to provide a more permanent solution to the issue.

The prosthetic allowed the blind mice to see the image of a baby’s face. It dwarfs current ones, which reproduce specific features but miss the full picture. Researchers at Cornell University believe this technology could be applied to humans. Most scientists hope that improving the power of the prosthetics can make the signal to the brain stronger. The intriguing part of the Cornell prosthetics is not that they boost the brain signal but that they focus on the retinal cell activity pattern.

In a standard retina, photoreceptors detect signals and those signals are transferred to cells in the nerves. The cells create a detailed code for the signals and send them to the brain, which creates the image. However, a retina that is no longer functioning correctly loses the photoreceptor cells and cannot send an image. Normal prosthetics produce simplistic signals, which means the brain can’t interpret many complex shapes. The Cornell prosthetics use a system that imitates the photoreceptor cells, allowing the nerve cells to receive a more natural signal.

While testing its new system, the Cornell team measured the cell activity of the retinas of the blind mice when they was presented with the image of a baby’s face. Compared to the normal prosthetic signals, the new implant sensed more detail and clarity. The baby’s face was clearer and his expression more evident using Cornell’s implant.

The team is now testing the prosthetic on primates and hopes to bring the technology to humans. If the team is able to apply this implant to humans, this could be one of the most groundbreaking discoveries in optometry, bringing vision to over 25 million people who have lost their eyesight. Imagine a world where blind people get to see a vast ocean for the first time, or a beautiful fall landscape. It would change lives forever.