After decades of study, a new project by Spanish scientists from the Miguel Hernández University, in the city of Elche, has achieved this . The goal of Eduardo Fernández, director of neuroengineering at the institution, was to ensure that a large part of the 36 million blind people around the world can regain part of their vision.
Fernández managed to do his first experiment with the implementation of a bionic eye in the patient Bernardeta Gómez, 57, who was blinded by septicemia 16 years ago. Now, with the help of a brain implant, he is able to distinguish simple shapes and letters.
The device consists of two parts, one implanted in the brain, and another external section. It is the first time that a system like this has been used in a blind person.
The machine "translates" what the camera captures into electronic signals that are sent, with the help of a cable, to a receiver that has been surgically incorporated into the back of the patient's skull.
Thus, thanks to glasses with an artificial retina and a tiny plate of 100 micro electrodes in his brain , specifically in the cerebral cortex, he has been able to recognize letters of the alphabet, accurately perceive shapes and even play 'pacifier'.
Although much remains to be done, it is an encouraging step towards a more sophisticated system capable of reproducing more complex visual images in the future.
