Ever-shrinking technology restoring vision with minimally invasive implant

Second Sight Medical Products Inc., Sylmar, Calif., which developed a retinal prosthesis for the blind that is said to enable patients to see light patterns, recently announced the first such device was successfully implanted in a patient this fall, according to the company's Web site.

The system works by capturing video images with a miniature camera housed in a pair of glasses worn by the patient. The images are processed and converted into a series of small electrical pulses that are transmitted wirelessly to an array of electrodes on the surface of the retina. The pulses are said to stimulate the retina's remaining cells, which results in the patient being able to perceive patterns of light in the brain.

The end result: Patients learn to interpret the light patterns and can then move around more easily. Here's a brief video explaining the technology: