Ian Nichols, 76, has been blind for about 20 years due to a degenerative eye condition.
It’s called retinitis pigmentosa and because of it, he knows what it’s like to hold his grandchildren, but he’s never seen them as they’ve grown.
Until now that is!!
Thanks to a Toronto hospital doing a study, Ian was able to get a “bionic eye!”
[ Related: Amanda Bynes’ Psychiatric Hold Extended For 14 More Days! ]
Doctors implanted a microchip in his eye which wirelessly connects to special glasses he wears that have a built in camera.
The camera sends visual info along his actual optic nerve, allowing him to perceive light!
He’s a cyborg! Ian said:
“I’ll never be able to recognize faces, but I will be able to see the image of a person and know if they are wearing a dark-colored top or a light-colored top. I have literally never seen [my 17-year-old granddaughter]. I held her in my arms from the time of her birth and now, I’ll be able to get some sense of her in the near future as my sight gets better. I know there is a long road ahead, but for the first time in many, many years I have hope and confidence that I will have at least some useful vision.”
That’s seriously so amazing!
Just wait until Google Glass gets involved and this sort of bionic tech could restore the sight of blind people everywhere!
Right now, the hospital can only do the surgeries as part of a study, so hopefully they’re approved soon to start treating everyone!
