After a four hour long, intensive surgery – and a recovery period of about a week – a 72-year-old Hawaiian woman will become the first woman to regain her sight thanks to a bionic eye transplant.
The lengthy procedure was headed by Dr. Gregg Kokame at the Eye Surgery Center of Hawaii. He is the founder and president of Retina Consultants of Hawaii, as well as the president for the Surgery Center. The patient had been suffering from blindness for over two years, after inheriting a genetic eye disorder called Retinitis pigmentosa.
Retinitis pigmentosa encompasses a group of genetic disorders that afflicts the retina. Inherited defects in the eyes slowly destroy the rod photoreceptors, the parts of the eye that fire up when less light is available in the surroundings. The first indication of cell death in the eye happens when peripheral and night vision start to fade.
Although normal vision cannot be fully restored using technological advances like bionic replacements, Kokame says his patient will soon be able to detect motion and shades of grey. After her full recovery, she should be able to see up to nine colors.
“Today is a historical day for many reasons. This ‘bionic eye’ implant has the potential to restore vision to patients who have been in total or near total darkness. This can dramatically change the quality of life of these patients,” said Kokame.
The device uses a complex system of camera and monitors which are linked to glasses that capture images. The images are sent back to the “eye” which relay the information through the optic nerve and into the brain.
Medicare covered the cost of the $144,000 surgery. The procedure is currently only available to those who suffer from Retinitis pigmentosa.
“I have been involved in the care of hereditary blindness since the beginning of my career in Ophthalmology at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute,” said Kokame. “I have watched patients progressively lose vision, but this new futuristic technology is now available to allow potential vision recovery to patients who are functionally blind.”
