Blind Woman Receives Bionic Eye, Reads a Clock With Elation

Recently, the BBC broadcast the reaction of Rhian Lewis, a 49-year-old blind mother of two, as she read a clock correctly using her right eye for the first time in 16 years.

Another win for Medical Bio-Technology comes to light today! I love reading about the progress we're making in fields like this.

Recently, the BBC broadcast the reaction of Rhian Lewis, a 49-year-old blind mother of two, as she read a clock correctly using her right eye for the first time in 16 years.

Lewis was understandably emotional, and as the first patient in the UK to receive one of the world’s most advanced bionic eye implants—it was one for the books.

Source

With the speed at which technology is advancing, and the leaps it's taking, I think we'll see a lot of great new inventions in the next few decades that will help out humanity at a global scale.

Even if the procedure looks terrifying

a reply to: Ghost147

It's good to see the progress of artificial vision systems.

My best friend was blind and nearly got Bill Dobelle's artificial vision system.

It was wetware and very primitive so I recommended against it at the time.

Given the rate at which these things are progressing - as Greencmp alludes to - we'll soon all be part of the collective. You. Will. Be. Assimilated. We'll all be androids soon.

In all seriousness though, this really is amazing stuff. Kudos to the folks that come up with the tech, even if it a little scary.

a reply to: Ghost147

Best bit of news for the day!

I can't imagine how that lady feels seeing again. Congratulations to the scientists who have invented and performed this massive step for people. Hope it becomes available for the blind everywhere.

a reply to: Ghost147 this is interesting. Not just because it was performed at my local hospital, where I have had all my treatment, but because I have keratoconus in my left eye. I had it when I was 16 but was told the treatment would take over a year and would require a cornea transplant. This was just before university, so I put it off. I may have a look into what they can do with it now. I've been putting it off for so long as I've been having cancer treatment for the past 13 years, so not wanted anymore time in hospital having surgeries when I've been coping with just 1 good right eye. I may think again and call for another consultation at the eye hospital. Thanks for bringing this thread here, it could be the start of me gaining some sight back in my left eye

a reply to: Ghost147

I wonder in the near future if they'll be able to tweak it so the person can see things beyond normal vision. I guess I'm showing my age and remembering Steve Austin the Million Dollar man. With all these bionic technologies starting to make some headway, fiction is starting to become a reality.

I'm genuinely happy for her. I can only imagine what it felt like to see again after such a long time. I love seeing the real world benefits of scientific advancement.

It's a shame our technology keeps advancing, but we just can't seem to resolve the basics, like feeding, clothing, and housing the many millions of starving and homeless people of the world. We just can't seem to get past our "baser instincts". For every human technology repairs, many more die that very same day, simply because they have no food or shelter. Simply because they are the wrong color, gender, religion, nationality, age, etc.

a reply to: greencmp

It's probably best you did recommend against it. Being a test subject for a new medical procedure is something no one should consider unless it's life threatening.

My wife has very severe OCD tendencies, and there's this one procedure you can do that can actually cure it. Except, the process includes firing gamma rays into your brain and frying neurons. It has been proven to work, but has also permanently and severely disabled people, and there has only ever been something like 150 people who have done it at the time.

Best wait until progress is made before entering new medical procedures




a reply to: woodwardjnr

I'm glad I helped. Hopefully the technology will aid you as much as it did the woman in the OP.

Being someone who is blind in one eye this is real hope for me. Although my optical nerve is severed and I have a prosthetic eye now I hope they will be able to make something that will restore my vision in the near future. It would be so amazing I can't wait to see what the future holds.