Scientists are making progress on a wireless brain implant that could help some blind people regain limited visual ability by sending camera-based information directly to the brain. The system, called the Intracortical Visual Prosthesis, bypasses the retina and optic nerves and connects directly with the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes sight. It is designed for people with profound blindness, especially those whose eyes or optic nerves can no longer send signals to the brain.

Scientists are making progress on a wireless brain implant that could help some blind people regain limited visual ability by sending camera-based information directly to the brain.

The system, called the Intracortical Visual Prosthesis, bypasses the retina and optic nerves and connects directly with the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes sight. It is designed for people with profound blindness, especially those whose eyes or optic nerves can no longer send signals to the brain.

The device uses miniature wireless stimulator modules implanted in the brain. A camera captures visual information, which is then processed and sent wirelessly to the implanted modules.

These modules stimulate the visual cortex with electrical signals. The brain interprets these signals as simple points or patterns of light, creating a rough form of artificial vision.

Researchers have made it clear that the system does not restore normal eyesight. Instead, it may help users detect basic shapes, movement, light patterns, or objects well enough to support simple tasks such as navigation.

Illinois Institute of Technology announced that the system has now been successfully implanted in a third participant. The surgery was performed at Rush University Medical Center.

The latest implantation included 34 wireless stimulators with a total of 544 electrodes. Testing will begin after a four-week recovery period at The Chicago Lighthouse’s Hilton Center for Prosthetic Research.

The clinical phase will examine whether the implant can help participants move through spaces and perform basic visually guided tasks.

Many people with total blindness cannot benefit from treatments that depend on the retina or optic nerve. In such cases, the visual cortex may still be intact even when the eyes can no longer send useful information.

By bypassing the eye entirely, this type of implant could offer a new option for patients who have no other advanced visual aid available.

The research has already produced early evidence that participants may improve their ability to navigate and complete basic tasks using artificial visual signals. However, the technology remains experimental and is still being tested in clinical studies.

The project is led by Illinois Tech researcher Philip R. Troyk and includes partners from Rush University Medical Center, The Chicago Lighthouse, Johns Hopkins, the University of Texas at Dallas, Microprobes for Life Science, Sigenics, and the University of Chicago.

The team is also looking for more research volunteers. Eligible participants include people who lost their sight as adults and had normal or near-normal vision for at least the first 10 years of life.

Other companies are also working on visual cortex implants. Belgian startup ReVision Implant received US FDA Breakthrough Device designation for its Ocular visual cortical prosthesis, which also uses a camera and brain implant to create functional vision for people with severe blindness.

For now, these systems are not a cure for blindness. However, they show how brain implants and cameras may one day help some blind patients regain limited, useful visual perception.

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