Cel
A bionic eye that provides sight to blind people is now feasible. The implant creates a perception of vision by electrically stimulating the retina of a blind patient. There are several groups that are currently conducting clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of visual prosthesis devices. So far, clinical trials have shown no safety issues and therefore, visual prostheses will probably receive market approval in the near future. As of now, there are no acceptable procedures to quantify the new kind of vision provided by these visual implants. The vision achieved from the implant is indeed artificial, of low resolution, and differs from natural human vision. Therefore, one cannot use visual acuity procedures that are used for seeing subjects. For example, due to the prosthesis' narrow field of view, subjects must continuously scan the visual field using head or eye movements. As a result, viewing time is a major factor when measuring the functionality of the bionic eye. In contrast, time is not a critical factor in visual acuity testing of seeing people. The aim of this proposal is to develop tools that will assess the visual functionality benefits of visual implants designed to help severely visually impaired patients, i.e. those who are totally blind. Although the end point of the visual functionality of these therapies is a far cry from natural sight, the restored vision will significantly improve the quality of life of blind patients that currently do not have any alternative treatment. These implants have already radically affect the visual experiences of several patients. For example, blind subjects experience great happiness when perceiving visual information of family members. Herein, I propose to extensively research and develop tools that will measure and quantify implants' artificial vision. Quantification of artificial vision acuity will lead to better devices that will hopefully bring light to thousands of blind people.
Dziedzina nauki
Zaproszenie do składania wniosków
FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG
Zobacz inne projekty w ramach tego zaproszenia
System finansowania
MC-IRG - International Re-integration Grants (IRG)Koordynator
84100 Beer Sheva
Izrael