The Argus II is a commercially-available retinal prosthesis that is helping some patients suffering blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa regain some eyesight. Mark Humayun, the USC Viterbi biomedical engineering professor who helped develop the device, continues research to improve the capabilities of the artificial retina.
Below is a sampling of recent of media articles about his research.
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In 1755, French physician and scientist Charles Leroy discharged the static electricity from a Leyden jar—a precursor of modern-day capacitors—into a blind patient’s body using two wires, one tightened around the head just above the eyes and the other around the leg. The patient, who had been blind for three months as a result of a high fever, described the experience like a flame passing downwards in front of his eyes. (View article) |
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An eye implant developed by USC — the first FDA approved implant of its kind — is helping people with a rare type of vision loss regain some sight and is paving the way for more "bionic eyes" to treat other forms of blindness in the future. (View article) |
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When she was a kid, Lisa Kulik used to watch “Romper Room,” a children’s TV series that aired from 1953 to 1994. “Every episode used to end with the lady looking into her magic mirror and ‘seeing’ all the children around the world,” Kulik says. “I used to think she could see me too.” (View article) |
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Fulton suffers from retinitis pigmentosa—a degenerative eye disease that slowly causes light-sensitive cells in the retina to die off. Over the course of several years she lost her sight, and for the past 10 years she hasn’t been able to see anything at all. But in late July, Fulton was outfitted with a system called the Argus II. A pair of camera-equipped glasses are hooked up to electrodes implanted in her eyeball, which feed her brain visual information. Using the system, she can now see the world again. (View article) |
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Famous for its film studios and music industry, Los Angeles is a city rich in innovation and creativity. Today, it is also home to a raft of companies that are helping to transform lives with breakthroughs in medical science. (View article) |
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One 66-year-old woman who had gone blind from retinitis pigmentosa — unable to see anything for 10 years — was given another chance to experience sight again after receiving bionic eyes. Retinitis pigmentosa is a degenerative eye disease that gradually kills light-sensitive cells in the retina. (View article) |
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Retinal prostheses are helping patients with degenerative retinal disease to regain sight. OT’s Ryan O’Hare reports on the Argus II system, which is forging a path for others to follow. (View article) |
