AI Eye Implant: For the first time in the world, an AI-powered eye chip has been developed that has changed the lives of people who were completely blind. An AI-powered retinal implant called PRIMA has shown surprising results in a clinical trial led by University College London (UCL). Of the 38 patients in the trial, 84 percent began to recognize letters, numbers and words again.
How does this smart eye work?
The PRIMA system is composed of three parts: a very small 2×2 mm chip, which is implanted under the retina. AR (Augmented Reality) glasses, which are equipped with cameras. AI Processor Belt Unit, which processes the video and sends signals to the brain. The glasses record live video of an object with a camera when it is in front of it. This video reaches a chip implanted in the eye via infrared light. The chip converts that signal into an electrical pulse and sends it through the optic nerve to the brain. The brain then recognizes that signal as seen.
Patients’ experiences
Sheila Irwin, a 70-year-old British patient involved in the trial, said that before the implant, I had two dark circles between my eyes. Now I am able to read again. This is nothing short of magic to me. The trial took place in 17 hospitals in the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. All patients reported no loss of their remaining side vision (peripheral vision), which is the greatest success of this system.
Why is it such a huge success?
This technology is especially a boon for patients who have dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or geographic atrophy. This is a condition in which the central part of the eye is permanently weakened. More than 5 million people worldwide are affected by this disease and till now there is no definite cure. PRIMA demonstrated for the first time that blind patients could read again, albeit partially. The surgery also takes only two hours and can be performed by any trained eye surgeon.
There are still some limitations
Although this technology is amazing, currently patients can only see black-and-white and low-resolution vision. Also, it takes many months to train the brain to understand new vision. Scientists believe that it is currently not possible to restore 20/20 vision, i.e. full normal vision, but technology is advancing rapidly.
What will be the way forward?
Now researchers are busy improving this technology further. In the future, AI will add features like color recognition, face recognition and contrast improvement to it. This won’t just be limited to eyes – the use of AI chips will also extend to neural prosthetics, i.e. other artificial organs related to the brain.
A new light for human life
The PRIMA implant has proven that AI can shed new light not only on machines but also on human lives. Where hope was lost before, this technology has now emerged as a new ray of light in the darkness of blindness.
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