Successful implantation of artificial eye in human

This is a new step in biomedical science when for the first time humans were able to successfully transplant eyes on a patient with vision loss.

The surgery performed in Manchester (UK) by doctors at the Royal Manchester Hospital recently can be considered the world's first successful eye transplant.

Patient Ray Flynn in a test of lines on a computer screen after surgery.

The man named Ray Flynn, 80 years old, suffered from age-related macular degeneration which led to his complete loss of vision.

He is now (after surgery) using a retinal implant that converts images from a small video camera placed on his glasses. He is now able to determine the direction of horizontal and vertical lines on a computer screen using the glasses.

Flynn said he was "delighted" with the new implant and hoped it would improve his vision enough to help him do household chores such as gardening or shopping.

It is known that the implants called Argus II produced by the American company Second Sight have been used to restore vision to many patients who are blind due to the rare disease retinitis pigmentosa.

Tissue transplanted in Flynn's eye

However, the implant was placed on a patient with macular degeneration, one of Flynn's most common eye conditions. The condition had previously deprived Flynn of his vision and forced him to sit very close to the TV to see anything.

The surgery took just over four hours and was led by Paulo Stanga, consultant ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon at the Royal Manchester Eye Hospital, and a team of ophthalmology professors at the University of Manchester.

Currently,Flynn can see the silhouettes of people and objects very effectively. Stanga also affirmed that "this is just the beginning of a new era for patients with vision loss".

Flynn's new eye implant essentially works by receiving information and images from a miniature camera mounted on the patient's glasses.These images will then be converted into electrical pulses and transmitted wirelessly to an array of electrodes attached to Flynn's retina. The electrodes will then continue to stimulate the cells of the retina and send the visual information to the brain.

The macular degeneration that Flynn has has two different forms: dry and wet. The dry form that Flynn has accounts for 85 percent of people with the disease, causing gradual loss of vision in the center of the retina but leaving the surrounding visual fields unaffected.

An estimated 44,000 people in the UK are affected by dry macular degeneration each year, while Manchester Hospital in the UK has undertaken a trial implant for four people with the condition each year.

The historic surgery lasted more than 4 hours.

Professor Stanga said: "We hope that patients will develop central vision again, allowing them to work and see around them. We are very excited by this trial and hope that this technology can help people, including children, with many other forms of vision loss or impairment."

The Argus II implant currently costs around £190,000, including treatment, although it is currently free for all patients taking part in the trial. The trials are being carried out at the Manchester Clinical Research Facility, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, and are aimed at bringing drugs and medical devices to patients.

These are just the first experimental studies and it is very likely that in the near future, we will see the results.This research will soon be applied more widely to all patients.

According to khoahoc.tv