[LINK] Bionic eye 'on market in two years'

[Stewart Fist]

The bionic eye claim surfaces every two years or so, and each time it gets
better, and closer to being useful.  Maybe this one is usable .. it has to
happen sometime soon.

However, when it mentions macular degeneration, I begin to suspect a beat
up.

The macular is the central part of the retina with the highest definition,
and it is devoid of larger blood vessel, and subject to a couple of
different conditions that make it bulge and distort.  People find lines
curving, then they can't read.  But generally they still have good
peripheral (low resolution) vision.

It's hard to imagine that an implant with 60 or even 6000 electrodes would
help them more than hinder.

This suggestion is totally at odds with the lead paragraph which says:
> The first six patients to try the revolutionary devices have learnt how to
> detect light, distinguish between objects and perceive direction of motion
and the other stuff that says the trials are on pigmentosa patients

People with macular degeneration can detect motion very well, and they can
often drive a car without too many problems (while still being legally
blind). The peripheral vision is designed to detect movement, but in low
resolution and that's what you need to drive.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a different problem where loss of peripheral vision
(tunnel vision) is the biggest problem.  It's almost the reverse of macular
degeneration, so one can understand how low resolution implants might work.