Image: New Scientist Less than a month ago, at the 2009
International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), researchers from
Stanford University presented their solution for a retinal
implant that has the potential to restore vision in those who
lose sight due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD),
retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and certain other retinal disorders.
The implant is composed of solar cells embedded in a bed of
flexible silicon electrodes that transfer visual images to the
brain. The human lens is curved in order to best project light
rays onto the retina, which is also curved. In Image:
JonathanRossiter.comsome eye conditions, like AMD,
photoreceptors in the retina are damaged, which can result in
partial or complete blindness. Currently, photoreceptor retinal
implants use tiny solar cells that are surgically arranged to
deliver signals to the retina, but solar cells are flat and they
require many surgeries to place and partially cover the curved
retina. "If you have a lens, the focal plane is always