美國南加州的研究團隊最近發表了一份人工視網膜的研究報告，這個植入器的裝置已經進入人體實驗的階段，而且有令人滿意的進展。這個裝置主要是針對因眼球斑點退化而失明的病人而作的視覺改善計劃，也把因為疾病或傷害而造成視覺神經與腦部連結功能喪失的功能重新恢復。
這個設備是由一個架有一組數片玻璃的微小照相機所構成。這個相機會將資料傳回架在眼球外面的植入器，這儀器接著一條通往眼球後面視網膜的電線。病患在他們的腰際上佩帶著一個呼叫器大小的傳送器，這是個負責掌控處理和發電的設備。這個人工視網膜的設計創造了一種新的影像傳輸到腦部的方法。
看了這則醫學報導，我真的是很佩服這個研究團隊和科技運用在人體的無窮可能性。其實我們的身體就像是一部設計精密，可以同時執行多樣功能的儀器。藉由了解身體器官的運作，科學家們以人工的方式模擬其功能，也驕傲地展現了人類有能力克服身體缺陷的自信。
原文來源:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1515960420070216
Artificial retina implant holds promise for blind
By Julie SteenhuysenThu Feb 15, 9:54 PM ET
A tiny electrical implant that attaches to the retina may someday restore partial sight to millions of patients blinded by age-related macular degeneration, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
The device, in the early stages of human clinical testing, is part of a new class of so-called ”smart” prostheses that link with the brain and nervous system to restore function lost to disease or injury, the researchers told reporters at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco.
Similar electrical stimulation devices known as cochlear implants have been used to treat deafness, and scientists are developing others to restore bladder control and movement to patients with spinal cord injury.
The artificial retina is designed to take the place of photoreceptor cells in the brain that are charged with capturing and processing light.
”We anticipate this technology will help blind patients who have lost their sight through macular degeneration,” said Dr. Mark Humayun, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southern California.
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in older adults in the United States and the developed world, affecting approximately 25 million to 30 million people.
Humayun and his colleagues have teamed up with privately held Second Sight Medical Products to develop the implant, which just won clearance from U.S. regulators to test a second-generation device in a U.S. clinical trial.
An early version of the device implanted in six patients fared far better than its makers expected, allowing people who had been blinded for years to distinguish between simple objects, such as a cup, a plate and a knife.
The device consists of a tiny camera mounted on a pair of glasses that transmits information to the implant, which is attached to the outside of the eyeball with a cable running to the retina in the back of the eye. Patients wear a pager-sized transmitter on their belt, which handles the processing and powers the device.
這個設備是由一個架有一組數片玻璃的微小照相機所構成,這個相機會將資料傳回架在眼球外面的植入器, 這儀器接著一條通往眼球後面視網膜的電線. 病患在他們的腰際上佩帶著一個呼叫器大小的傳送器,這是個負責掌控處理和發電的設備.
Humayun, who helped implant the first six patients, said the best he had hoped for in that early trial was for patients to distinguish between light, dark and see some areas of gray.
”It really speaks to the brain’s ability to fill in a lot of information,” he said.
The earlier implant consisted of 16 electrodes or pixels. The newer version has about 60 electrodes and is about a quarter the original half-inch size.
In patients with diseases of the retina such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa, photoreceptor cells progressively degenerate, causing vision loss.
The artificial retina is designed to work by creating a new route for images to reach the brain.
The trial will enroll 50 to 75 patients in five U.S. centers, who will be followed for one to two years.
If it proves successful in a series of clinical trials, Humayun said the artificial retina could be on the U.S. market within two years.
