Blind People Can See with Bionic Eye

A study shows a retinal implant can help restore useful vision in people who otherwise would have gone blind. A bionic eye has enabled blind people to read letters and simple words. The implant converts images from the camera into electronic signals that the brain can "see".

Tests on 21 patients with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disease that destroys light receiving cells in the back of the eye, showed that three-quarters were able to correctly identify individual letters. More than half were able to read words of four letters, according to findings published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

The Argus II allows Barbara Campbell, who lost her sight 20 years ago, to see the world through patterns of light. Scientists hope it is the beginning of even more treatments.