Advancements within bionic devices has boomed within the 21st century, seeing new technologies rescope human augmentation as we know it. The likes of new 3D printers have propelled the boundaries of what we consider possible, in particular enabling the development of new ‘bionic eyes’. The development of this new, groundbreaking technology will likely transform the lives of individuals living with profound blindness; in particular, for those with conditions such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa which lead to degeneration of retina.

The eye, and the neural signalling which allows us to see is a particularly complex nature. In relatively simple terminology, our eye consists of a retina containing rod and cone photoreceptor cells which help to identify both the intensity and spectrum of light. This can be converted into electrical signalling, and transmitted along the optical nerve into the visual cortex area of the brain to be processed. Various conditions, which lead to the deterioration of this signaling pathway, can be extremely detrimental to individuals sight and their livelihoods.

Thus, the development of this new bionic device is a particularly exciting advancement within the biomedical community. This implementation consists of a electrical macular implant, about the size of 2x4mm and external eye glasses. The electrical component of this device allows stimulation of ganglion cells, whereby electrical currents can be tramistted along the optical nerve and processed in the brain. This technology is currently being developed by a company named SecondSight and is called the Argus II.

One girl who has seen the promising advances in this area is Myah Hauxwell who was born with a rare defect called severe microphthalmia causing blindness . This is a complex condition leading to reduced eye growth, although the precise pathology is still mostly misunderstood. Myah, who is just 9 years old, had undergone 23 surgeries before raising money to have the ocular prosthesis.