Geordi La Forge, the beloved Star Trek character, received several upgrades to his bionic vision over the course of the series and films, but in real life, plans to replace natural eyes with technological alternatives move much more slowly. Nevertheless, the team at Pixium Vision has received approval to begin a series of trials with its IRIS II system, which combines a special viewer and an epiretinal implant.
Once again, it's those seemingly simple details—like recognizing a color, threading a needle, picking out a T-shirt design, or watching a couple of kittens play—that remind us how privileged we are. There are many people out there who can't do any of that, because they've lost their sight either in an accident or due to a special condition. In some cases, sight loss is immediate, but in others, degeneration takes time, so that person sees themselves going blind. Medicine does everything possible to reverse certain conditions, but we're facing one of the biggest challenges. That's what leads us to turn to technology, and the possibility of compensating, repairing, or replacing what was lost with a bionic implant.
The IRIS II System
That's how we find ourselves with the IRIS II, a system developed by Pixium Vision. At first glance, anyone could mistake it for some kind of virtual reality helmet, but the technology inside is much more complex. It features a camera “bio-inspired” by the human eye, which transmits a signal to an epiretinal implant equipped with 150 electrodes. That should be enough for a blind person to recognize shapes in black, white, and gray. Moreover, the IRIS II design allows implants to be “upgraded” through direct replacement, minimizing the risk of retinal damage in the process.
The first clinical trials of the IRIS II will begin in the United Kingdom, with patients who have lost their sight due to retinitis pigmentosa. It is estimated that in the future the device could “tackle” other conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration. It's not perfect, but we're moving in the right direction.
