AR ZONE
INSIDE A BIONIC EYE
With over 160 million people suffering from some type of sight loss, bionic eyes could be the solution to one of the most pressing medical issues of our time
WORDS MARK SMITH
HOW A BIONIC EYE WORKS
This technology has to translate images into something the human brain can understand
I n the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Enterprise’s blind chief engineer Geordi La Forge wore a device that allowed him to see – but that was in the fictional 24th century. Technology that can replicate the functions of the human eye has always remained firmly within the realms of science fiction, until now that is. Advances in science have seen the creation of bionic eyes that, for the very first time, are restoring hope to the many people who are unable to see or whose vision has deteriorated due to injury, illness or genetics. With nearly 40 million people suffering from blindness worldwide and another 124 million affected by low vision, the need for new solutions is pressing.