● A recent Yabancı Basın report by Michael Peel covered a medical breakthrough that could change how we treat blindness. Researchers built an eye implant that brings back central vision for people with advanced AMD—a condition affecting millions and the top cause of permanent blindness in seniors. The results appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine.
● The device shows real promise for vision recovery, though it faces hurdles like high costs, tricky surgery, and questions about long-term use. Still, 81% of patients who got the implant saw real improvements in their central vision—the first time any vision restoration trial has hit those numbers with a large group.
● The implant, designed by Stanford's Prof. Daniel Palanker and made by Science Corporation, hasn't been fully approved in the U.S. or Europe yet. The company says it wants to make the tech "affordable and accessible" for as many patients as possible. Experts think widespread use could cut healthcare costs tied to vision loss and create new opportunities in biomedical devices and AI-driven neural tech.
● The research focused on "geographic atrophy," an advanced AMD type behind most age-related blindness. The system uses a camera on special glasses that captures what's around you and sends it to a tiny 2x2mm wireless chip in your retina. The chip turns light into electrical signals that trigger retinal cells to send visual data to your brain—basically converting light into sight.
● Researchers think this breakthrough could kick off a new wave in neural prosthetics, going beyond eyesight to future brain and nerve interfaces.