Retinal Implants to regain sight

The implants send signals to the optic nerve

Miniature photodiode chips are perhaps most commonly found in your mobile phone cameras; but seven people have been carrying the chips somewhere else - in their eyes.

The volunteers, who lost their sight through an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, took part in a medical trail in Germany.

Light-sensitive chips were surgically implanted into their eyes allowing signals to be sent to the brain through the optic nerve and partial sight to return.

The sensors were developed by the firm Retina Implant. Walter Wrobel and Eberhart Zrenner join Gareth Mitchell to discuss more about the implants and the technology behind them.

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