This remarkable discovery is all thanks to chap called Professor Eberhart Zrenner, OK - so he's a German, but let's not hold that against him shall we? Zrenner and his team at Retina Implant AG initially tested their sub-retinal chip on 11 guinea pigs.
Some of the volunteers, all with some form of blindness, couldn't 'see' any difference as their condition was too advanced although a proportion of the volunteers noticed a substantial improvement.
Further tests showed that with three of the volunteers the further behind the retina the chip was placed the better results. Two of these volunteers had retinitis pigmentosa, which is an inherited condition which can begin at a very young age. The other had Chlamydia, sorry - choroideraemia - which is also an inherited condition.
The guy with the best results was a bloke called Mikka Terho, not only was he able to recognise objects such as cutlery and a clock - he was also able to move around the room unaided.
Mikka also managed to pass an unintentional dyseltix test when he managed to identify his name spelt out incorrectly. On normal occasions any music lover would verify that the name 'Mika' would have you close your eyes immediately, although this was a rare exception to the rule.
So, how does this chip work? Well, the device converts the light which enters the eye into electrical impulses which are then transported into the optic nerve behind the eye.
Like many things the team behind the device realise room for improvement and are currently testing a new model which is contained underneath the skin with an external device which is attached behind the ear.
We will keep our 'eyes open' for any new developments on this let you know of any more progress.
