Speaker: MDS adviser Associate Professor Au Eong Kah Guan
Date: Feb 28 (Sat), 2009. 2-5pm
Venue: Seminar Room 1, Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, 2nd Level
Call Anne at 6238-7387 or Email: alleyes@singnet.com.sg to confirm attendance.
Blindness is one of the most feared disabilities. Fortunately, there is some progress being made in the treatment of certain forms of blindness previously untreatable with conventional methods. Scientists are now developing an electronic retinal chip (called a retinal prosthesis) to restore sight in patients suffering from degenerative retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.In these diseases, the light-sensing cells (called photoreceptors) in the outer retina slowly degenerate, leading to blindness. However, many of the inner retinal nerve cells that transmit signals from the photoreceptors to the brain are preserved to a large extent for a prolonged period of time.It has been shown that electrical stimulation of inner retinal nerve cells can produce perception of light (called phosphenes) in patients with retinal degeneration. The retinal prosthesis uses a camera mounted on a pair of spectacles to capture images and then relays these images to a small number of electrodes implanted inside the eye to stimulate the retina. Electrical signals are then sent to the brain, allowing the patient to see. Clinical trials on patients have shown some encouraging results.
This lecture will discuss the current state-of-the-art on this experimental treatment for blindness.
