Visual perception in a blind subject with a chronic microelectronic retinal prosthesis

• Published in: Vision research (Oxford) Vol. 43; no. 24; pp. 2573 - 2581
• Main Authors: Humayun, Mark S., Weiland, James D., Fujii, Gildo Y., Greenberg, Robert, Williamson, Richard, Little, Jim, Mech, Brian, Cimmarusti, Valerie, Van Boemel, Gretchen, Dagnelie, Gislin, de Juan, Eugene
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Blindness; Electrodes, Implanted; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Ophthalmology; Photoreceptor Cells - surgery; Prostheses and Implants; Retina - surgery; Retinitis Pigmentosa - surgery; Retinopathies; Treatment Outcome; Visual Perception - physiology; Human; Eye disease; Visual stimulus; Retinopathy; Stimulus movement; Prosthesis; Retinitis pigmentosa; Vision disorder; Blindness; Light stimulus; Genetic disease; Visual perception
• ISSN: 0042-6989; 1878-5646
• DOI: 10.1016/S0042-6989(03)00457-7

A retinal prosthesis was permanently implanted in the eye of a completely blind test subject. This report details the results from the first 10 weeks of testing with the implant subject. The implanted device included an extraocular case to hold electronics, an intraocular electrode array (platinum disks, 4 × 4 arrangement) designed to interface with the retina, and a cable to connect the electronics case to the electrode array. The subject was able to see perceptions of light (spots) on all 16 electrodes of the array. In addition, the subject was able to use a camera to detect the presence or absence of ambient light, to detect motion, and to recognize simple shapes.