Europe has more than 2.5 million residents who are blind, according to a leading advocacy group.
In the 1990s, scientists began taking baby steps towards an artificial eye for blind patients by implanting electrodes in the brain part—the visual cortex—that deals with vision. These miniscule metal contact points can interact with brain cells to conveyThe difficulty was that the electrodes were still relatively bulky and only a limited number could be implanted into brain tissue.
To be able to discern a face or enough of the outlines of objects in the real world to navigate, say, a room, a blind person would need to have between 1,000 and 2,000 electrodes inserted surgically into the visual cortex.The implants being developed under NeuraViPer contain thousands of electrodes embedded in flexible strips. This will significantly increase visual resolution and improve the safety of the implant by reducing the risk of scarring or a negative immune response.