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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Microvision (MVIS) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mark calder who wrote (3848)	12/13/1999 11:02:00 PM
From: vpelt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7721

Mark, I know you're happy. I wanna hear JDN say he's happy ;^) vpelt

To: mark calder who wrote (3848)	12/13/1999 11:02:00 PM
From: CAP	Respond to of 7721

Eye Chip May Help Restore Vision By GREG TOPPO Associated Press Writer BALTIMORE (AP) -- Scientists say wireless video goggles and a laser-powered microchip stapled to the retina could someday give blind patients a small measure of sight. The intraocular retinal prosthesis, or "eye chip," uses a small video camera in a set of goggles to send images to the microchip fastened to the back of the retina. Electrodes on the chip form an image that can stimulate the retina and be "seen" by blind people. "The beauty of it is that you're hooked up to the most powerful computer in the world, which is the human brain," said Dr. Mark Humayun, an ophthalmologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital's Wilmer Eye Institute. Last week, Stevie Wonder said he was considering surgery to implant the chip. Wonder, who has been blind since birth, spoke with Humayun, who offered to examine the 49-year-old singer. Humayun said the surgery is unlikely to help Wonder, but wouldn't rule it out. If planned animal and human trials are successful, the eye chip could be available in two to five years. Humayun said the prosthetic eyes would probably be most useful for people who saw at one time or whose eyesight is worsening due to a condition such as macular degeneration, the major cause of blindness in the elderly. Wilmer scientists are developing the prosthetic eyes along with electrical engineers at North Carolina State University. The system hasn't been tested on humans, but researchers have been conducting tests on its components for a decade. Seventeen patients have had tiny electrodes inserted directly into the retina for a few minutes in the operating room. Most have been able to recognize light and a few have identified lighted forms and colors, Humayun said. One patient, 72-year-old Harold Churchey of Sharpsburg, Md., was able to recognize that a series of lighted dots formed the letter H. "From the very first time they put that first probe in my eye, I knew they were on the right track," he said. One major obstacle to the device's success is the capacity of the chip. Researchers are using a square chip measuring 5 millimeters on each side, but it can only transmit an image of about 100 pixels, or points of light. Researchers hope to create one that will transmit 500 pixels for a sharper image. Another obstacle is how to secure the microchip to the retina, which is as delicate as wet tissue paper. The chip also must be sealed tightly to prevent fluid in the eye from corroding it, said North Carolina State researcher Wentai Liu. It must also operate on a minuscule amount of power to keep it from heating up and damaging the retina. Peter Dudley, program director for retinal diseases at the National Eye Institute, said blind people should not expect the eye chip to be a cure. "It would help their quality of life because they could make out the general forms of a spouse or a child," he said. "But it's not going to give them the kind of high-acuity vision that you and I have." AP-NY-12-09-99 0609EDT< Copyright © Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. newsday.com