IMPLANTED ELECTRODES AND VIDEO CAMERA ALLOW BLIND MAN TO SPOT SOME OBJECTS:

Elias Konstantopoulos first noticed his eye-sight was worsening at age 43.  He eventually learned that he had an incurable hereditary condition known as retinitis pigmentosa. The disease eats away at the retina’s rods and cones, which help people see light and identify color and detail.  Now, he is 72 and has completely lost his vision.  In 2009, he agreed to join a trial.  An electrode array was surgically implanted in his eye, and he was given a pair of glasses equipped with a tiny video camera. The camera captures images and converts them into signals that are fed into the implanted array. The signals are sent to the optic nerve and then to the brain.  Konstantopolous says he can distinguish light-colored objects against dark backgrounds, perceive an automobile passing and orient himself in a room where there is a window or door letting sunlight in from outside.