Plugging Into the Eye, With a New Design
By Anne Eisenberg © The New York Times — When disease destroys vital parts of the eye, causing degrees of blindness, scientists can sometimes replace damaged tissue with electronic implants that help patients see lines and basic shapes. The tips of the implant’s electrodes, which help replace the work of diseased rods and cones, slide into a snug berth just below the retina. But as with any electrical connection, these implants must fit snugly and not jiggle or shake loose after a few months, like a drooping plug in a wall socket. Now groups of scientists have demonstrated retinal implants that they say will resist the jarring of daily use. The implant contains a tiny array of electrodes whose tips slide into a snug berth just beneath the retina, the nerve tissue lining the back of the eye, and are held in place by natural suction…. READ ARTICLE