Blindness cured with ‘revolutionary’ bionic chip

Electronic implant restores sight to patients with age-related condition, heralding ‘new era’ for artificial vision
Blind patients can read and recognise faces again with a “revolutionary” bionic chip, signalling a “new era” for artificial vision.
The implant is an ultra-thin wireless microchip, measuring 2mm by 2mm, which is inserted under the retina and links to a video-camera fitted on a pair of augmented-reality glasses.
Dozens of patients who lost their eyesight through age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were fitted with the device on a trial including Moorfields Hospital in London, with more than 80 per cent seeing major improvements.
About 600,000 people in the UK suffer from AMD, a number that is expected to increase with an ageing population, but there is currently no cure and the condition can be managed only with injections to slow the damage.
The device works with a video camera recording the scene in front of the patient, then AI is used to convert the information to …