Robotic Eye:Using Tech To Restore The World's Vision.

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Hello my beautiful friends on steem, welcome to my blog. Today I will be doing a post that centres around the human eyes, eyesight, and eye defects, especially blindness. And the best part, I shall be talking about how it is possible for a once blind person to see again. Yes you heard me. See again. Not with the aid of some religious miracles. Rather, restoration of lost vision to the visually impaired person with the aid of technology. Yes, with the help of assistive medical technology known as retinal eye implants or robotic/bionic eyes, if you like to call it that.
Now guess what,how many people do you suppose are visually challenged globally? Nooo! Not correct. Now wait for it. There are over 285 million estimated people around the world, who are either visually impaired one way or another, or blind out right.
Now let us reflect on the above dire statistics for a moment. If today, you enjoy a totally healthy eyesight, with no medical aid, then you are extremely lucky. But on the flip side of that, let's consider the following scenarios. Specifically, what it feels like to lose one's sight. Imagine waking in the morning, and looking through one's window and not being able to see the rising sun, the trees and the singing birds on them. Or the street lights or the moonlight at night. Imagine not being able to see one's spouse, children, father, mother, sibblings and friends for weeks which turn into months and then years. Scary and frustrating thoughts, right? Of course yes. I personally reckon It would be a most completely draining experience, unless lost vision is regained.

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However, doesn't have to be so. And it doesn't have to continue to be so. Many thanks to breakthroughs in assistive medical technology. Over the years, researchers, eye scientist and ophthalmologists have literally denied themselves sleep in a bid to developing novel technologies that will help restore sight to a teeming global population of visually impaired persons. And consequently, now we can speak of such phenomenal exploits as retinal eye implants, same as robotic or bionic eyes. Which today is helping restore vision to previously blind patients across continents of the world. But it is vital for us to note that bionic eyes is mostly effective in treating patients who lost their sights to blindness-causing diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa[RP] and age related macula degeneration[AGD].

THE PROCESS OF SEEING.

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The human process of seeing objects starts when light rays hits the eye.And the cornea and lens channels the light unto the retina, located behind the eye. Then the light sensitive cells-(rods and cones) inside the retina converts the focused light into electrical pulses which is then transmitted via the optic nerve to the brain, where the image is interpreted. This is how the human being is able to visualize objects. However, when RD and AGD are responsible for blindness, one or two of this process doesn't work correctly any more.Because the sufferer's lens and cornea have been badly destroyed.

SO, WHAT'S THE CAUSE BLINDNESS?

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Of course, several reasons can lead a person to blindnes, such as glaucoma, cataract, diabetes stroke etc, in the case of diseases.And smoking, in the case of lifestyle. As well as home accidents and auto crash injuries to the eye. But I shall be focusing on two diseases that are the commonest cause of blindness. Namely, Retinitis pigmentosa[RP] and age related macula degeneration[AGD].
These conditions affect and damage the eyes rods and cones, found inside the retina.RP, for instance, is so deadly that initially, it prevents both night and side vision. And gradually graduates to full scale blindness. As a genetic defect, RP sadly has no cure.

EYE IMPLANT TO THE RESCUE.(BREAKING FREE FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT)

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In helping restore vision to the blind, eye implants have come to the rescue. And If you call them bionic or robotic eyes, you won't be wrong neither. An eye implant is an artificial retina, a chip with around 1500 electrode sensors placed on its 33mm wide surface. Robotic eye helps restores vision by mimicking the function of the retina. It does that by encouraging whatever is left of thd damaged retina(by RP and AGD) to begin to respond to light again. While the camera embedded in the artificial retina captures and convert every image it picks up from the vicinity into the optic messages, and transmits them back to the brain via the resuscitated retina. And boom!!! Lost vision is restored. Medical miracle.You might wanna say.This literal have escape from darkness to light is so spectacular that within days and weeks after the implant, restored vision continues to improve and get better. As the brain over time learns to understand the newly created pathway, the stimulus inputs and then adjust to interpretating images correctly.

HOW'S ROBOTIC EYE IMPLANTED?

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Robotic eye is implanted into a patient's eye via a surgery procedure. Once inside, the implant is held in place by natural pressure. While the best part is it doesn't need batteries or wires, as they are designed to be powered by natural light rays entering the eyeball.

EYE IMPLANTS:HOPE FOR THE BLIND.

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Using robotic eye to treat and restore vision lost to RP and AGD is relatively a novel technology in medicine. Hence, it may not have been readily available to any and every one who needs it just yet. Nevertheless, it it an incredible milestone. A groundbreaking feat in medical profession. To the extent that shortly after surgery and implant of robotic eyes, patients are able to begin to see again after decades of living in total darkness. They begin to be able to make out outlines of humans,trees,building,fire,and even colours again. Which is incredibly awesome. According to Devin Kehoe, an American, who shared his experience after his surgical operation said: "I was taking my dogs for a walk, after my implant, suddenly I heard geese flying over. I looked up and I could see them. It was the most remarkable experience of my life, that I hadn't an Idea of when I let out a shout, Oh! my God, I can see. I can see the birds flying over my head. While, a 51years old Chris James, who's been blind for 20 years, puts his own experience this way: who's been blind "the result of the procedure has given me light again. Rather than just the usual dark dark world.

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Therefore, with the achievement record with this medical feat. I do not have the smallest shred of doubt in my mind that all forms of eyes defects and particularly, blindness, will soon be become an extinct phenomenon.

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REFERENCES.
1.www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/bionic eyes.
2.www.amp.theguardian.com/science
3.www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article
4.www.extremetech.com/computing/228048-medical-technology-to-the-rescue-for-the-vision-impaired
5.www.newscientist.com/article
6.www.medicinenet.com/blindness/article