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INTRODUCTION
A Bionic Eye is a device, which acts as an artificial eye. It is a broad term for the entire electronics system consisting of the image sensors, processors, radio transmitters & receivers, and the retinal chip. Based on the institute developed these devices are developed but with minor to major differences, of these the devices with functional capability and those which are clinically tested and results proved are discussed here. Here the designers objective is to go for a system that is technically perfect with no loop holes and that is harmless to the human body which receives the system and that is commercially viable both in terms of ease of manufacture, cost and the process of implanting. Blindness means loss of vision. Rods and Cones, millions of them are in the back of every healthy human eye. They are biological solar cells in the retina that convert light to electrical impulses -- impulses that travel along the optic nerve to the brain where images are formed. Without them, eyes lose the capacity to see, and are declared blind. Degenerative retinal diseases result in death of photoreceptors--rod-shaped cells at the retina's periphery responsible for night vision and cone-shaped cells at its center responsible for color vision. Worldwide, 1.5 million people suffer from Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), the leading cause of inherited blindness. In the Western world, Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of vision loss in people over age 65, and the issue is becoming more critical as the population ages. Each year, 700,000 people are diagnosed with AMD, with 10 percent becoming legally blind, defined by 20/400 vision. Many AMD patients retain some degree of peripheral vision. Currently, there is no effective treatment for most patients with AMD and RP, the researchers say . However, if one could bypass the photoreceptors and directly stimulate the inner retina with visual signals, one might be able to restore some degree of sight.
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CAUSES OF BLINDNESS
There are two important types of retinal degenerative disease: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) They are detailed below. :
RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA (RP) is a general term for a number of diseases that predominately affect the photoreceptor layer or light sensing cells of the retina. These diseases are usually hereditary and affect individuals earlier in life. Injury to the photoreceptor cell layer, in particular, reduces the retinas ability to sense an initial light signal. Despite this damage, however, the remainder of the retinal processing cells in other layers usually continues to function. RP affects the mid-peripheral vision first and sometimes progresses to affect the far-periphery and the central areas of vision. The narrowing of the field of vision into tunnel vision can sometimes result in complete blindness.
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AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION (AMD) refers to a degenerative condition that occurs most frequently in the elderly. AMD is a disease that progressively decreases the function of specific cellular layers of the retinas macula. The affected areas within the macula are the outer retina and inner retina photoreceptor layer. As for macular degeneration, it is also genetically related, it degenerates cones in macula region, causing damage to central vision but spares peripheral retina, which affects their ability to read and perform visually demanding tasks. Although macular degeneration is associated with aging, the exact cause is still unknown. Together, AMD and RP affect at least 30 million people in the world. They are the most common causes of untreatable blindness in developed countries and, currently, there is no effective means of restoring vision.
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The ASR is a silicon chip 2 mm in diameter and 1/1000 inch in thickness. It contains approximately 3,500 microscopic solar cells called "micro photodiodes," each having its own stimulating electrode. These micro photodiodes are designed to convert the light energy from images into thousands of tiny electrical
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impulses to stimulate the remaining functional cells of the retina in patients suffering with AMD and RP types of conditions. The ASR is powered solely by incident light and does not require the use of external wires or batteries. When surgically implanted under the retina, in a location known as the sub retinal space, the ASR is designed to produce visual signals similar to those produced by the photoreceptor layer. From their sub retinal location these artificial "photoelectric" signals from the ASR are in a position to induce biological visual signals in the remaining functional retinal cells which may be processed and sent via the optic nerve to the brain.
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The schematic of the components of the MARC to be implanted consists of a secondary receiving coil mounted in close proximity to the cornea, a power and signal transceiver and processing chip, a stimulation-current driver, and a proposed electrode array fabricated on a material such as silicone rubber thin silicon or polyimide with ribbon cables connecting the devices. The stimulating electrode array, an example of which is given in the figure below, is mounted on the retina while the power and signal transceiver is mounted in close proximity to the cornea. An external miniature low-power CMOS camera worn in an eyeglass frame will capture an image and transfer the visual information and power to the intraocular components via RF telemetry. The intraocular prosthesis will decode the signal and electrically stimulate the retinal neurons through the electrodes in a manner that corresponds to the image acquired by the CMOS Camera.
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WORKING
Normal vision begins when light enters and moves through the eye to strike specialized photoreceptor (light-receiving) cells in the retina called rods and cones. These cells convert light signals to electric impulses that are sent to the optic nerve and the brain. Retinal diseases like age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa destroy vision by annihilating these cells. With the artificial retina device, a miniature camera mounted in eyeglasses captures images and wirelessly sends the information to a microprocessor (worn on a belt) that converts the data to an electronic signal and transmits it to a receiver on the eye. The receiver sends the signals through a tiny, thin cable to the microelectrode array, stimulating it to emit pulses. The artificial retina device thus bypasses defunct photoreceptor cells and transmits electrical signals directly to the retinas remaining viable cells. The pulses travel to the optic nerve and, ultimately, to the brain, which perceives patterns of light and dark spots corresponding to the electrodes stimulated. Patients learn to interpret these visual patterns. It takes some training for subjects to actually see a tree. At first, they see mostly light and dark spots. But after a while, they learn to interpret what the brain is showing them, and they eventually perceive that pattern of light and dark as a tree. Researchers are already planning a third version that has 1000 electrodes on the retinal implant, which they believe could allow for reading, facial recognition capabilities etc.
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1: Camera on glasses views image 2: Signals are sent to hand-held device 3: Processed information is sent back to glasses and wirelessly transmitted to receiver under surface of eye 4: Receiver sends information to electrodes in retinal implant 5: Electrodes stimulate retina to send information to brain. The MARC system, pictured in the figures will operate in the following manner. An external camera will acquire an image, whereupon it will be encoded into data stream which will be transmitted via RF telemetry to an intraocular transceiver. A data signal will be transmitted by modulating the amplitude of a higher frequency carrier signal. The signal will be rectified and filtered, and the MARC will be capable of extracting power, data, and a clock signal. The subsequently derived image will then be stimulated upon the patients retina.
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A)
Outside Eye: The video input to the marc system block is given through a CCD camera. This image is further processed using a PDA sized image processor & to transmit it, we do pulse width modulation in first stage and then ASK modulation is done. This signal is further amplified using a class E power amplifier and transmitted using RF telemetry coils. Inside Eye: The signal received from the RF telemetry coils is power recovered and then these signal is ASK demodulated and the data and clock is recovered from this signals and these signal are sent to the configuration and control block of the chip which from its input decode what information has to be sent to
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each of the electrodes and sends them this data. And the electrodes in turn stimulate the cells in the eye so as to send this stimulation to the brain through optic nerve and help brain in visualizing the image and while this process is going on the status of each electrode is sent to the marc diagnostics chip outside the eye.
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ACQUISITION SYSTEM
The image acquisition system consists of a CMOS digital camera which acquires images and sends it to the Analog to Digital Converter. It converts this analog input to digital data. This data is first sent into a video buffer where it is processed, the images are colour mapped and these processed images are sent through RS232 interface. This serial data is then sent to the electrodes or testing monitor through a RF circuit or laser beam.
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the size of a human hair. The assemblage is so small that surgeons cant safely handle it. So, the arrays are attached to a polymer film one millimeter in size. After insertion into an eyeball, the polymer film will simply dissolve leaving only the array behind after a couple of weeks.
THE ANALOGY There is a great degree of coherence between the ways our eyes function to that of a change over time as the respective camera. Perhaps our eyes had been the technologies are further developed and inspiration behind the cameras invention. From the structural point of view the eye may be compared with a camera. The eyelids act as a shutter and there is an entrance the cornea; a diaphragm to regulate aperture and therefore the amount of light entering the iris; a lens to focus the image;
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Reduction of stress upon retina Heat dissipation problems are kept to a minimum Although the device will not be able to restore the eye sight of the entire blind community, researchers are certain many people will benefit from the technology. For instance, age-related macular generation is the leading cause of blindness in the industrialized world, with about 2 million Americans currently suffering from the condition. The new technology will hopefully assist people suffering from this condition, and individuals suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (a genetic condition), but will not help glaucoma patients. The researchers note the device has some limitations, and it will not restore perfect vision. However, they are sure it will give people the advantage of having a general sense of their surroundings. Hopefully, the technology may enable people to recognize faces and facial expressions. "The thing is to significantly improve the quality of life for blind patients," said Joseph Rizzo of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, who has co-directed the project with MIT's John Wyatt since 1988.
CHALLENGES
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One of the greatest challenges seems to be ensuring that the implant can remain in the eye for decades or more without causing scarring, immune system responses, and general degradation from daily biological wear and tear. Current retinal implants provide very low resolution-- just a few hundred pixels. There are many doubts as to how the brain will react to foreign signals generated by artificial light sensors. These artificial retinas are still years away from becoming widespread because they are too expensive, too clunky, and too fragile to withstand decades of normal wear and tear. A Nano-sized irritant can create havoc in the eye. There are 120 million rods and 6 million cones in the retina of every healthy human eye. Creating an artificial replacement for these is no easy task. Si based photo detectors have been tried in earlier attempts. But Si is toxic to the human body and reacts unfavourably with fluids in the eye. There are many doubts as to how the brain will react to foreign signals generated by artificial light sensors.
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CONCLUSION
A bionic eye implant that could help restore the sight of millions of blind people could be available to patients within two years.
About 1.5 million people worldwide have retinitis pigmentosa, and one in 10 people over the age of 55 have age related macular degeneration. The invention and implementation of artificial eye could help those people.
We may not restore the vision fully, but we can help them to least be able to find their way, recognize faces, read books, above all lead an independent life
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ReferenceS
www.spectrum.ieee.org www.stanford.edu www.bionicvision.org.au www.visionaustralia.org www.2-sight.com www.cosmosmagazine.com www.ngm.nationalgeographic.com www.sessionmagazine.com www.health.howstuffworks.com www.wikipedia.org