MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — Surgeons in England have performed the first bionic eye implant in a patient with the most common cause of sight loss in the developed world.
FREE APPS | NOW | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
- $152M Mega Millions jackpot won in Pennsylvania
- Manager offers tour of Robinson pet store at center of animal abuse allegations
- Facebook rant on parenting, respecting veterans goes viral
- Adorable photo of shelter dogs hugging saves them from euthanasia
Eighty-year-old Ray Flynn from Manchester has dry age-related macular degeneration which has led to the total loss of his central vision.
He's using a retinal implant which converts video images from a miniature video camera mounted on his glasses.
He can now make out the direction of white lines on a computer screen using the retinal implant.
Flynn says he's delighted with the implant and hopes in time it will improve his vision sufficiently to help him with day-to-day tasks like gardening and shopping.
The Argus Two implant, manufactured by the US firm Second Sight, has previously been used to restore some vision to patients who are blind as a result of a rare condition known as retinitis pigmentosa.
The operation, which took four hours at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, is the first time it has been implanted in a patient with age-related macular degeneration.